ST. Charles Leno Jr. Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- Semyon Varlamov emptied the net with 2:39 left, and a penalty on Minnesota 25 seconds later gave Colorado a two-man advantage. This time, with a record roaring crowd on their side, the Wild held firm and sent the Avalanche back home with a long to-do list. Charlie Coyle scored his third goal of the series, and the Wild dominated the Avalanche for the second straight game on their way to a 2-1 win on Thursday night that evened the first-round matchup at two apiece. The Wild outshot the Avalanche a stunning 32-12, establishing a franchise record for fewest allowed by Minnesota. Colorado has been outshot 78-34 in the last two games, with Ryan OReilly getting the only goal. "Every game is a new game and you have got to always bring that energy and same focus, but I think we fed off of last game and how well we played," Coyle said. Jared Spurgeon used a slap shot to get a puck past Varlamov just 3:47 into the game, much quicker than the 65:08 the Wild needed to score in Game 3. Game 5 will be in Denver on Saturday night. Coyle was in perfect position on a power play to backhand in a friendly bounce of the ricochet of Jason Pominvilles rocket off the glass behind the net, giving the Wild a two-goal lead with 7:05 left in the second period. Just 30 seconds later, OReilly gave the Avalanche their first goal against Wild rookie Darcy Kuemper in the series after 42 shots and more than 124 minutes without one, a long-range shot from the top of the circle without any traffic in front that cut the lead to 2-1. But that was all they could scrap together on another off night by stars Nathan MacKinnon, Paul Stastny and Gabe Landeskog, who were the highlights for the Avalanche in winning the first two games. "Weve just got to stay on the pedal here and continue this push," Kuemper said. Roys daring removal of Varlamov with 3:01 remaining worked in Game 1, when Stastny tied the game with 13 seconds left and won it in overtime. This time, with the Avalanche in a 6-on-4, Mikael Granlund followed his dramatic diving overtime goal in Game 3 with some daring defence. He lost his stick at one point, but he still managed to block a shot without it as the arena erupted in approval with the final seconds ticking away. The announced attendance of 19,396 was the most ever to watch a Wild playoff game. "Weve had some exciting games since Ive been here in this building, but Ive never heard anything like that tonight. That was fun," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. The Avalanche failed to score on all four power plays and fell to 1 for 15 in the series. Roy didnt look fazed, though, even if his players were frustrated and disappointed. "When we have the type of performance that we have from our goaltender, theres no reason for us to not believe in ourselves, coming back home," Roy said. Even without suspended left wing Matt Cooke, the Wild sure werent missing any energy. They zipped crisp, purposeful passes all over the ice and again kept the play in the Avalanche zone for the majority of the night to raise the level of the crowd noise along with that. The Avalanche, angered by Cookes act, played more physically than in the last game. Granlund was a frequent target of the rough stuff. But the quality of their play further deteriorated. "Were still not testing this goalie enough. Were making him look good by taking shots from the outside and nobody being in front," Landeskog said. The Wilds defence had a lot to do with that, particularly on those power plays, but the Avalanche showed little semblance of an attack and fumbled with the puck often. "Thats part of the playoffs," Stastny said. "We knew it was going to be a tough series. Nothings going to come easy." NOTES: The Wilds win raised the home teams record in the Western Conference playoffs so far to 14-1. ... The Avalanche matched their playoff record for fewest shots on goal. They had 12 on June 2, 2001, against New Jersey in the Stanley Cup finals. ... This was the first time in seven all-time playoff series the Wild have won their first two home games. ... Avalanche-Wild playoff games have been decided by one goal 12 out of 17 times. ... MacKinnon left for the locker room in the second period, but returned soon after. Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Link Lyman Jersey . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto.ANAHEIM - It was one of the funnier moments in this years Stanley Cup playoffs. Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry squirted water into one of Jeff Carters hockey gloves, which was left on top of the boards by the Kings bench, unattended, during a commercial break. The Los Angeles Kings centre appeared unamused and voiced displeasure to a nearby linesman. "Just trying to, I guess, get under peoples skin," said Perry with a shrug when asked about the prank he pulled in Game 1 of the series. "Just try to get people off their game." But so far in the first-ever playoff showdown between the NHLs two southern California teams it has been the Kings, who have gotten the Ducks off their game as Perry, a 43-goal scorer in the regular season, and Hart Trophy nominee Ryan Getzlaf have failed to make a major impact. "Him and I put a lot of pressure on each other and on ourselves and its our responsibility to get the team going, to produce and we havent done that," Perry admitted. So far it has been the Kings top line featuring Selke Trophy nominee Anze Kopitar, which has gotten the best of the Ducks dynamic duo. "In the playoffs you have to be better than the guy across from you," Getzlaf said. "If hes playing great you got to be better than that. Thats how you find a way to win." "If you know Ryan, he puts a lot of onus on himself," said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, "and he knows hes the leader of this group and when hes going to his best [level] then we usually have a good result. He feels he needs to be a little bit better, hes probably correct." Post-game on Monday, Getzlaf said he was "ticked off" by how the series has unfolded. And the Ducks captain made it clear on Tuesday that the anger he felt in the moments after the loss has yet to subside. "Yeah, Im still mad. I want to win and when we dont win I get mad. Thats just [my] nature I guess." And while Getzlaf believes he can be better he certainly doesnt shoulder all the blame for the bind his team is in. "Its not all about me. Im not going to go out and win Game 3 by myself thats for sure. The story of our season has been our depth and our lineup and we need, from top to bottom, everybody pushing." The Kopitar line, which also features captain Dustin Brown and sniper Marian Gaborik, is likely to be matched up against the Getzlaf unit over the next two games as Kings head coach Darryl Sutter will have the advantage of last change at the Staples Center. But Anaheims lack of success isnt about one matchup. The Kings have tightened up all over the ice and are playing the same suffocating style that led to a Cup two years ago. "They didnt win the Jennings Trophy just by luck," said Boudreau. "Theyre a good defensive team." The Kings allowed the fewest goals in the NHL in the regular season (2.05 goals per game). Los Angeles also led the league in hits. "The system [they play] is really basic," Boudreau explained. "Theres nothing really extravagant with what Darryls doing. They just do it well. They got the right personnel, theyve been through the wars, theyve won the Cup before with that group and they know how to do it. "Quite frankly, its the same system we use. Its layers of blocking, layers of having to go through guys when you come into [their] zone and the last six games theyve been very good at it." Cracking the Kings sound defensive structure is one issue, but the bigger issue for the Ducks has been Jonathan Quick, who has reverted to his Conn Smythe form after a shaky start in the first round series against the San Jose Sharks. Quick has a .961 save percentage during the Kings current six game winning streak. "Yeah, hes played well, but we havent played our game," said Perry. George Trafton Jersey. "We just have to be more determined." Quick turned aside 36 of the 37 shots he faced on Monday night with the only puck to beat him deflecting in off defenceman Jake Muzzins skate. "Hes seeing a lot of pucks," said Ducks forward Patrick Maroon, who was credited with Anaheims lone goal in Game 2, which came during a four-on-three power play. "Thats one of the problems here. Five-on-five we got to get in front of the net, get in his eyes, create more traffic and get in his head a little bit, because were not doing that. Were an outside team right now. We got to crash and bang, throw pucks at his feet and go to the net." Jonas Hiller, who faced just 16 shots Monday night, suggests Anaheims current approach is actually helping Quick build even more confidence. "I know from experience that those are the nice games to play if you face a lot of shots and are able to see most of them," said the Ducks goalie. "Quicks just playing a little better than I am right now. I think their first line is just a little bit better than our [top] line. We got to find a way to change that." Scoring goals wasnt a problem for the Ducks during the regular season as they led the NHL in that category (3.21 per game). Perry finished second in the league in goal scoring behind only Alexander Ovechkin while Getzlaf posted a career-high 31 goals. Ten Ducks had 10 goals or more. So why has the potent Anaheim attack, become so punchless? It appears the challenge at the moment is more mental than physical. "I think guys are almost trying to do too much, myself included, trying maybe to push it a little too hard and making it unnatural," said Matt Beleskey, who has two goals and two assists in four playoff games this spring while skating alongside Perry and Getzlaf. "The Kings are doing a pretty good job of boxing guys out, but its timing. You got to bear down and get there." Dropping the first two games at home can shake the confidence of a team. But Boudreau downplayed the importance of home-ice advantage. He pointed out that the games between the Kings and Ducks have been close all season whether theyre played at the Honda Center, Staples Center or even Dodger Stadium. "To me, these games whether we play them here or frigging any stadium you want, its going to be a tough game or a one-goal game and its two teams just battling really hard," Boudreau said. "The difference is they scored an empty-net goal and we didnt. Thats the whole difference in the series right now." Anaheim will need to win on enemy ice at least twice to keep their season alive. The Kings only have one regulation loss at the Staples Center in their last nine games there, but the Ducks dont see this as a daunting task. "Its tough to win in this building too and they did it twice," said Beleskey standing in the Ducks dressing room. "Definitely not going to be that hard for us." The Ducks believe one win can turn this series on its head. After all, the Kings stormed back against the Sharks in the first round. The Chicago Blackhawks erased an 0-2 deficit against the St. Louis Blues. Comebacks are all the rage in the NHL these days. "Were a confident group," said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy. "We know we can beat this team. We feel weve had two pretty even games ... I truly believe that playoffs is all about momentum and right now we need to put a seed of doubt in their mind. And if we win that first game, if its 2-1 and we have momentum, we can do that. "As soon as we win one they remember that were a good team, we remember that were a good team and it puts doubt in their mind, but it all starts with us." ' ' '
ST. Charles Leno Jr. Jersey . PAUL, Minn. -- Semyon Varlamov emptied the net with 2:39 left, and a penalty on Minnesota 25 seconds later gave Colorado a two-man advantage. This time, with a record roaring crowd on their side, the Wild held firm and sent the Avalanche back home with a long to-do list. Charlie Coyle scored his third goal of the series, and the Wild dominated the Avalanche for the second straight game on their way to a 2-1 win on Thursday night that evened the first-round matchup at two apiece. The Wild outshot the Avalanche a stunning 32-12, establishing a franchise record for fewest allowed by Minnesota. Colorado has been outshot 78-34 in the last two games, with Ryan OReilly getting the only goal. "Every game is a new game and you have got to always bring that energy and same focus, but I think we fed off of last game and how well we played," Coyle said. Jared Spurgeon used a slap shot to get a puck past Varlamov just 3:47 into the game, much quicker than the 65:08 the Wild needed to score in Game 3. Game 5 will be in Denver on Saturday night. Coyle was in perfect position on a power play to backhand in a friendly bounce of the ricochet of Jason Pominvilles rocket off the glass behind the net, giving the Wild a two-goal lead with 7:05 left in the second period. Just 30 seconds later, OReilly gave the Avalanche their first goal against Wild rookie Darcy Kuemper in the series after 42 shots and more than 124 minutes without one, a long-range shot from the top of the circle without any traffic in front that cut the lead to 2-1. But that was all they could scrap together on another off night by stars Nathan MacKinnon, Paul Stastny and Gabe Landeskog, who were the highlights for the Avalanche in winning the first two games. "Weve just got to stay on the pedal here and continue this push," Kuemper said. Roys daring removal of Varlamov with 3:01 remaining worked in Game 1, when Stastny tied the game with 13 seconds left and won it in overtime. This time, with the Avalanche in a 6-on-4, Mikael Granlund followed his dramatic diving overtime goal in Game 3 with some daring defence. He lost his stick at one point, but he still managed to block a shot without it as the arena erupted in approval with the final seconds ticking away. The announced attendance of 19,396 was the most ever to watch a Wild playoff game. "Weve had some exciting games since Ive been here in this building, but Ive never heard anything like that tonight. That was fun," Wild coach Mike Yeo said. The Avalanche failed to score on all four power plays and fell to 1 for 15 in the series. Roy didnt look fazed, though, even if his players were frustrated and disappointed. "When we have the type of performance that we have from our goaltender, theres no reason for us to not believe in ourselves, coming back home," Roy said. Even without suspended left wing Matt Cooke, the Wild sure werent missing any energy. They zipped crisp, purposeful passes all over the ice and again kept the play in the Avalanche zone for the majority of the night to raise the level of the crowd noise along with that. The Avalanche, angered by Cookes act, played more physically than in the last game. Granlund was a frequent target of the rough stuff. But the quality of their play further deteriorated. "Were still not testing this goalie enough. Were making him look good by taking shots from the outside and nobody being in front," Landeskog said. The Wilds defence had a lot to do with that, particularly on those power plays, but the Avalanche showed little semblance of an attack and fumbled with the puck often. "Thats part of the playoffs," Stastny said. "We knew it was going to be a tough series. Nothings going to come easy." NOTES: The Wilds win raised the home teams record in the Western Conference playoffs so far to 14-1. ... The Avalanche matched their playoff record for fewest shots on goal. They had 12 on June 2, 2001, against New Jersey in the Stanley Cup finals. ... This was the first time in seven all-time playoff series the Wild have won their first two home games. ... Avalanche-Wild playoff games have been decided by one goal 12 out of 17 times. ... MacKinnon left for the locker room in the second period, but returned soon after. Joel Iyiegbuniwe Jersey . Joel Embiid was nearly unstoppable in the paint in the second half, and Naadir Tharpe seemingly couldnt miss. Link Lyman Jersey . Those who impressed in each of the three events were asked to attend the main CFL Combine which begins Friday in Toronto.ANAHEIM - It was one of the funnier moments in this years Stanley Cup playoffs. Anaheim Ducks winger Corey Perry squirted water into one of Jeff Carters hockey gloves, which was left on top of the boards by the Kings bench, unattended, during a commercial break. The Los Angeles Kings centre appeared unamused and voiced displeasure to a nearby linesman. "Just trying to, I guess, get under peoples skin," said Perry with a shrug when asked about the prank he pulled in Game 1 of the series. "Just try to get people off their game." But so far in the first-ever playoff showdown between the NHLs two southern California teams it has been the Kings, who have gotten the Ducks off their game as Perry, a 43-goal scorer in the regular season, and Hart Trophy nominee Ryan Getzlaf have failed to make a major impact. "Him and I put a lot of pressure on each other and on ourselves and its our responsibility to get the team going, to produce and we havent done that," Perry admitted. So far it has been the Kings top line featuring Selke Trophy nominee Anze Kopitar, which has gotten the best of the Ducks dynamic duo. "In the playoffs you have to be better than the guy across from you," Getzlaf said. "If hes playing great you got to be better than that. Thats how you find a way to win." "If you know Ryan, he puts a lot of onus on himself," said Ducks head coach Bruce Boudreau, "and he knows hes the leader of this group and when hes going to his best [level] then we usually have a good result. He feels he needs to be a little bit better, hes probably correct." Post-game on Monday, Getzlaf said he was "ticked off" by how the series has unfolded. And the Ducks captain made it clear on Tuesday that the anger he felt in the moments after the loss has yet to subside. "Yeah, Im still mad. I want to win and when we dont win I get mad. Thats just [my] nature I guess." And while Getzlaf believes he can be better he certainly doesnt shoulder all the blame for the bind his team is in. "Its not all about me. Im not going to go out and win Game 3 by myself thats for sure. The story of our season has been our depth and our lineup and we need, from top to bottom, everybody pushing." The Kopitar line, which also features captain Dustin Brown and sniper Marian Gaborik, is likely to be matched up against the Getzlaf unit over the next two games as Kings head coach Darryl Sutter will have the advantage of last change at the Staples Center. But Anaheims lack of success isnt about one matchup. The Kings have tightened up all over the ice and are playing the same suffocating style that led to a Cup two years ago. "They didnt win the Jennings Trophy just by luck," said Boudreau. "Theyre a good defensive team." The Kings allowed the fewest goals in the NHL in the regular season (2.05 goals per game). Los Angeles also led the league in hits. "The system [they play] is really basic," Boudreau explained. "Theres nothing really extravagant with what Darryls doing. They just do it well. They got the right personnel, theyve been through the wars, theyve won the Cup before with that group and they know how to do it. "Quite frankly, its the same system we use. Its layers of blocking, layers of having to go through guys when you come into [their] zone and the last six games theyve been very good at it." Cracking the Kings sound defensive structure is one issue, but the bigger issue for the Ducks has been Jonathan Quick, who has reverted to his Conn Smythe form after a shaky start in the first round series against the San Jose Sharks. Quick has a .961 save percentage during the Kings current six game winning streak. "Yeah, hes played well, but we havent played our game," said Perry. George Trafton Jersey. "We just have to be more determined." Quick turned aside 36 of the 37 shots he faced on Monday night with the only puck to beat him deflecting in off defenceman Jake Muzzins skate. "Hes seeing a lot of pucks," said Ducks forward Patrick Maroon, who was credited with Anaheims lone goal in Game 2, which came during a four-on-three power play. "Thats one of the problems here. Five-on-five we got to get in front of the net, get in his eyes, create more traffic and get in his head a little bit, because were not doing that. Were an outside team right now. We got to crash and bang, throw pucks at his feet and go to the net." Jonas Hiller, who faced just 16 shots Monday night, suggests Anaheims current approach is actually helping Quick build even more confidence. "I know from experience that those are the nice games to play if you face a lot of shots and are able to see most of them," said the Ducks goalie. "Quicks just playing a little better than I am right now. I think their first line is just a little bit better than our [top] line. We got to find a way to change that." Scoring goals wasnt a problem for the Ducks during the regular season as they led the NHL in that category (3.21 per game). Perry finished second in the league in goal scoring behind only Alexander Ovechkin while Getzlaf posted a career-high 31 goals. Ten Ducks had 10 goals or more. So why has the potent Anaheim attack, become so punchless? It appears the challenge at the moment is more mental than physical. "I think guys are almost trying to do too much, myself included, trying maybe to push it a little too hard and making it unnatural," said Matt Beleskey, who has two goals and two assists in four playoff games this spring while skating alongside Perry and Getzlaf. "The Kings are doing a pretty good job of boxing guys out, but its timing. You got to bear down and get there." Dropping the first two games at home can shake the confidence of a team. But Boudreau downplayed the importance of home-ice advantage. He pointed out that the games between the Kings and Ducks have been close all season whether theyre played at the Honda Center, Staples Center or even Dodger Stadium. "To me, these games whether we play them here or frigging any stadium you want, its going to be a tough game or a one-goal game and its two teams just battling really hard," Boudreau said. "The difference is they scored an empty-net goal and we didnt. Thats the whole difference in the series right now." Anaheim will need to win on enemy ice at least twice to keep their season alive. The Kings only have one regulation loss at the Staples Center in their last nine games there, but the Ducks dont see this as a daunting task. "Its tough to win in this building too and they did it twice," said Beleskey standing in the Ducks dressing room. "Definitely not going to be that hard for us." The Ducks believe one win can turn this series on its head. After all, the Kings stormed back against the Sharks in the first round. The Chicago Blackhawks erased an 0-2 deficit against the St. Louis Blues. Comebacks are all the rage in the NHL these days. "Were a confident group," said Ducks defenceman Ben Lovejoy. "We know we can beat this team. We feel weve had two pretty even games ... I truly believe that playoffs is all about momentum and right now we need to put a seed of doubt in their mind. And if we win that first game, if its 2-1 and we have momentum, we can do that. "As soon as we win one they remember that were a good team, we remember that were a good team and it puts doubt in their mind, but it all starts with us." ' ' '
