ST. PAUL, Minn. – Despite a strange three-day break between games, it wasn’t the National Hockey League that delayed this playoff series. It was the Minnesota Wild.

It took until Game 3 against the Colorado Avalanche, here Saturday night, for the Wild to find their own game and prove they can compete against the National Hockey League’s best team.

Everything that went wrong for the Wild when they spotted the Avalanche a two-game head start in Denver went right for them in a 5-1 win in Minnesota that was the team’s first second-round playoff victory in the State of Hockey since 2013.

Kirill Kaprizov had one goal and three points, matched by teammate Brock Faber, and Quinn Hughes contributed a goal and an assist as Minnesota’s best players far outplayed Colorado stars. 

Wild special teams, pulverized since the playoffs began, produced a pair of goals while Minnesota scored another at four-on-four. And the goaltending concern was suddenly shoved down to Colorado’s end of the ice as Avalanche starter Scott Wedgewood was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots, while Minnesota goalie Jesper Wallstedt returned from a contentious one-game rest and stopped 35 of 36.

It was the Avalanche’s first loss since April 11, ending a nine-game winning streak that included the Stanley Cup favourites’ first six playoff games.

It is now “Game On!” in the series.

Unaccustomed to speaking to the media after losses, Colorado coach Jared Bednar had lots stored up after the Avalanche surrendered goals 93 seconds apart late in the first period and weren’t really in the game after that.

The series is suddenly close, but Saturday’s contest was not.

“There was a level they hit that we didn’t get to,” Bednar told reporters. “I saw it in flashes, I saw it........

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