The Colorado Avalanche are a win away from a trip to the Western Conference Finals after a 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
While the Avalanche dominated until the horn blew in the third period, the team nearly lost a key player along the way.
Captain Nathan MacKinnon, took a puck to the face in the second period and immediately exited the game full of blood. However, he returned to start the third period and delivered the final goal into an empty net to secure the win.
The Avalanche still managed to secure a win even without two key players who were out with upper body injuries.
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Jared Bednar Says Sam Malinski And Artturi Lehkonen Are ‘Day-to-Day’
Defenseman, Sam Malinski, and forward, Artturi Lehkonen both suffered upper body injuries in Game 3 against the Minnesota Wild and were scratched from Game 4.
Both players had participated in every Stanley Cup Playoff game thus far for Colorado.
Through seven games, Lehkonen is fifth on the team with six points (three goals, three assists), and Malinski has chipped in one goal and two assists.
Colorado Avalanche beat writer Evan Rawal shared to X, “Bednar says Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen are day-to-day. Both got dinged up in Game 3. They’ll see how they present tomorrow at morning skate.”
Yesterday’s game was the first game Malinski missed the entire 2025-26 NHL season.
In three seasons with the Avalanche, Malinski has 65 points (16 goals and 49 assists). He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and recently agreed to a four-year, $19 million extension in 2026.
Lehkonen, 30, is an 11-year NHL veteran who joined the Avalanche in 2021-2022 and secured himself a Stanley Cup Trophy.
In 2025-26, Lehkonen has 48 points (21 goals and 27 assists) through 70 games.
Malinski and Lehkonen sit at seventh and eighth on the team’s leaderboard for assists.
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Jared Bednar Reveals ‘Biggest Change’ In Win Over Wild Despite Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen’s Absence
In Game 3, the Colorado Avalanche lost 5-1 against the Minnesota Wild. While Sam Malinski played the entire game, Artturi Lehkonen logged an ice time of 15:30, his lowest in the postseason so far.
It was later revealed that an upper body injury is what kept him off the ice, as him and Malinski were late scratches for Game 4.
Following Colorado’s win against the Wild on Monday, head coach Jared Bednar revealed what he thought the biggest change was from Game 3 and 4, despite being down two of their key players.
“For me, the biggest change from last game (a 5-1 loss in Game 3 on Saturday) to this game is we were a more determined group,” Bednar said, per NHL.com. “To a man, just more determined and committed to playing the right way.
“I didn’t hate our details last game, but I thought that we got outcompeted in that game a little bit. And tonight, we kind of swung it back in our favor and guys went to work. Relentless all over the rink. We just looked quicker.”
The Avalanche look to close out the series against the Wild at home on Wednesday May 13.
Colorado Avalanche Announce Breaking Injury News Ahead of Game 5 vs. Wild