Landeskog says Avalanche have ‘another level’ as series shifts to Minnesota

Colorado's captain says the 6-0 Avalanche haven't peaked yet as the team prepares for a hostile Xcel Energy Center crowd in Saturday's Game 3 against Minnesota

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

May 7, 2026, 3:18 PM

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The Colorado Avalanche have outscored Minnesota 14-8 through two games, hold a 2-0 series lead and are 6-0 this postseason.

Their captain still isn’t satisfied.

“I think for us there’s still another level in our game to get to, and we’ll continue working toward it,” Gabriel Landeskog said Thursday after practice.

The Avalanche used the mid-series break to fine-tune their game before traveling to Minnesota, where they will face the Wild on Saturday at Xcel Energy Center. Colorado won the first two games at home — 9-6 in a frenetic Game 1 and 5-2 in a more controlled Game 2 — and now looks to tighten its grip on the Western Conference semifinal.

Landeskog, who had a goal and an assist in Game 2, praised his team’s defensive structure in that victory after the chaos of the opener.

“I thought we did a good job for the most part keeping everything to the outside and not giving them too much and really making them earn every scoring chance,” Landeskog said. “I liked our power play. I thought Wedgie was great. I thought our D corps was solid and PK stepped up big. So there’s a lot to like.”

The series now shifts to what multiple Avalanche players described as one of the more electric buildings in the NHL. Rather than viewing it as a challenge, they are embracing it.

“It’s nice to pipe them down a little bit when you score a couple,” forward Martin Necas said with a grin.

Goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who made 29 saves in Game 2, drew on years of experience in hostile arenas.

“A long time ago before I played with Nashville, it was always — you get scored on, they tell you ‘you suck,'” Wedgewood said. “But you change the last word to ‘you rock.’ And it just tweaks the mind.”

Wedgewood acknowledged that fans have done far worse but his approach: tune it out and execute.

“There could be 18,000 people waving towels, all shirtless and you’ve just got to worry about your job at hand,” he said.

Coach Jared Bednar struck a more cautious tone, reminding his group of last year’s exit against Dallas, when Colorado held the edge in scoring chances in six of seven games but lost the series.

“There’s no moral victories,” Bednar said. “You have to find a way to win. If you have a 2-0 series lead, Game 3 is a critical game. We know we’ll see their best, just like we did with LA. And we have to be ready to play our best game of the series in order to win it.”

Nazem Kadri said the Avalanche plan to match whatever desperation the Wild bring.

“You go in there with a mentality that it’s going to be as hard as humanly possible,” Kadri said. “I’m looking forward to the hostile atmosphere. That’s playoff hockey.”

Landeskog, a Masterton Trophy finalist for his perseverance through a knee injury that cost him nearly three full seasons and broken ribs suffered in January, said his own game remains a work in progress but that he is not chasing individual recognition.

“I’m humbled and and honored by it… The ultimate prize I’ve already won, and that’s to continue working and getting to play hockey,” Landeskog said. “I’ve got amazing kids and a wife at home. An individual award — does that make sense?”

Ross Colton, who was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the opening-round sweep of Los Angeles, said sitting out lit a fire under him. He has two assists in the Minnesota series, both setting up game-winning goals.

“I was pissed off,” Colton said. “Maybe it was good for me, a little kick in the ass. You come back in and just try to play with a little bit of an edge.”

On the Minnesota side, key center Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Jonas Brodin have not skated since suffering injuries in the first round against Dallas. Eriksson Ek is hoping to play Saturday, though that remains uncertain. Brodin is expected to remain out for a while. Coach John Hynes has not announced his Game 3 starting goaltender after Jesper Wallstedt allowed eight goals in Game 1 and Filip Gustavsson gave up goals on the first two shots of Game 2.

Game 3 is Saturday at 7 p.m.