3 Things to Watch: Wild at Avalanche, Game 1 of Western Conference 2nd Round

Here are three issues to watch in Game 1:

1. Makar vs. Hughes

Two of the perfect defensemen within the NHL, they’ve already confronted off towards one another lots, be it in regular-season video games or within the 2026 Winter Olympics in February.

It’s only a pleasure to watch these two. They even benefit from the discuss in regards to the two of them.

“It’s just funny, like pretty cool to have been able to come in (the NHL) with him,” Hughes stated. (*1*)

2. Wild weathering accidents

Neither defenseman Jonas Brodin nor ahead Joel Eriksson made the journey right here and can miss the primary two video games of the sequence.

With three days in between Games 2 and 3, the Wild will reevaluate them earlier than Game 3 in Minnesota on Saturday. That might particularly be true of Eriksson Ek, their second-line heart who sustained a lower-body harm of their 5-2 win in Game 6 of the primary spherical.

“When you have a player like him out that plays so many different situations, one player isn’t going to take the brunt of that responsibility,” Minnesota coach John Hynes stated. “On his power play responsibility, someone else will have to take that. His center (work), 5-on-5, someone else will have to take that, his penalty killing… when you lose a guy that plays that many situations, you have to do it collectively as a group and it’s not all on one guy.”

3. Blankenburg’s problem

Nick Blankenburg was inserted by the Avalanche for Game 4 of the primary spherical for defenseman Josh Manson (higher physique) after the latter sustained his harm in Game 3 towards the Los Angeles Kings. What Blankenburg can have to modify to this sequence is coping with the additional physicality the Wild are anticipated to convey.

(*3*) Colorado coach Jared Bednar stated.

Manson is 6-foot-3 and 218 kilos; Blankenburg is 5-9, 177.

“He’s going to have to just defend smartly — that’s using your legs, using your stick,” Bednar stated. “He still has that grit and physical edge to his game, but he has to be careful against bigger bodies tonight.”