Sports

Colorado Avalanche advance in the playoffs with 4-3 win over Minnesota Wild

By Jesse Sarles

Updated on: May 13, 2026 / 10:26 PM MDT / CBS Colorado

Thousands of fans fill Avs Alley to watch NHL playoff game outside Ball Arena

The Colorado Avalanche are headed to the Western Conference finals for the first time in four years. It comes after an impressive 4-3 come-from-behind win on Wednesday night over the Minnesota Wild.

The Avalanche came back from a 3-0 deficit at Ball Arena in Game 5 of their series and forced overtime. The Wild were 83 seconds away from forcing a Game 6, but forward Nathan MacKinnon's goal tied things up in regulation.

Jesper Wallstedt #30 of the Minnesota Wild makes a save against Nazem Kadri #91 of the Colorado Avalanche during the second period in Game Five of the Second Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on May 13, 2026 in Denver. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images

Defenseman Brett Kulak scored the winning goal 3:52 into the overtime period.

The last time the Avs advanced to the conference finals was in 2022, the year they won the Stanley Cup championship.

Colorado will play the winner of the Anaheim Ducks and the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference finals. The Knights currently hold a 3-2 lead in that series.

Jesse Sarles

Jesse Sarles manages the web content and website operations for CBS Colorado. He writes articles about Colorado news and sports in and around the Denver area.