NHL Player News

Wallstedt stopped 29 of 32 shots in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche in Game 4. The last two goals were empty-netters.

Wallstedt had a decent performance, but the Avalanche were able to hold onto the lead after Parker Kelly's goal at 11:32 of the third period. Wallstedt dropped to 5-4 this postseason, and he has a 2.66 GAA and a .912 save percentage over nine contests. The Wild have their backs against the wall now, facing a 3-1 series deficit and a trip to Colorado for Wednesday's Game 5 with the season on the line.

Necas logged two assists, including one on the power play, and added two hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Necas is up to seven points over four games in the second round, getting significantly more involved than he did against the Kings in the first round. Overall, the talented forward has one goal, eight assists, 22 shots on net, 13 hits and a plus-7 rating over eight appearances. He's a virtual lock for top-line minutes unless things start going south for the Avalanche.

Kelly scored a goal, added two PIM and notched three hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

The tally, which was also the game-winner, was Kelly's first point of the postseason. The 26-year-old was among the more surprising 20-goal scorers in the regular season, tallying 21 times while adding 14 assists over 82 contests. He's provided defense and physicality in a bottom-six role this postseason, adding 14 shots on net, 23 hits, eight PIM and an even plus-minus rating across eight games.

Colton scored a goal on four shots, added two PIM and doled out three hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Colton's goal was his first of the postseason, and it gave the Avalanche their first lead in this contest. The 29-year-old was bumped up to the second line on paper, but he saw just 8:39 of ice time Monday, with Nazem Kadri picking up a larger chunk of the minutes vacated by Artturi Lehkonen (upper body). Colton has three points, 11 shots on net, 19 hits and a minus-1 rating over six playoff appearances.

Kadri scored a power-play goal on five shots and added three hits in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Kadri tied the game at 1-1 in the second period with his tally. The 35-year-old has two goals and three assists during his five-game point streak, with four of those five points coming on the power play. He's up to six points, 24 shots, seven hits and an even plus-minus rating over eight playoff contests in a middle-six role.

Nelson scored an empty-net goal on three shots and went plus-2 in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Nelson's two goals this postseason have both gone into empty nets. He's at three points over eight playoff outings, which isn't a lot of secondary scoring for a player in a second-line role. He's added 15 shots on net, 10 hits, nine blocked shots, eight PIM and a plus-3 rating while playing in all situations.

MacKinnon scored an empty-net goal on two shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

MacKinnon was able to come back into the game after getting bloodied by a puck to the face late in the second period. He was able to extend his point streak to five games with the first of the Avalanche's two empty-netters. He's earned six goals and five assists during streak, accounting for 11 of his 12 points across eight playoff outings.

Blackwood stopped 19 of 21 shots in Monday's 5-2 win over the Wild in Game 4.

Blackwood made his first start of the postseason, and while it wasn't a dominant performance, it was enough for the win. The 29-year-old hadn't started since April 14 versus the Flames. Blackwood could get a chance to string together some starts after earning this win, especially since it gave the Avalanche a 3-1 series lead that allows the team to tinker if necessary. Game 5 is in Colorado on Wednesday.

Malinski is dealing with an upper-body injury and will not suit up for Game 4 against the Wild on Monday, according to Dan Rosen of NHL.com.

Jack Ahcan will make his NHL playoff debut Monday as a result of Malinski being a late scratch. While Malinski is a tough loss for the Avalanche, the team is getting Josh Manson back in the lineup after missing the last four games because of an upper-body injury. It's possible head coach Jared Bednar will have an update on Malinski's status following Game 4. Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Colorado.

Lehkonen (upper body) is not in the lineup for Game 4 against the Wild on Monday, per Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette.

Lehkonen logged 15:30 of ice time in Saturday's Game 3 loss, his lowest total since Game 1 against the Kings in the first round, so it's possible he was injured at some point during that matchup. Gabriel Landeskog will slide up to the top line alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas due to Lehkonen's absence. Lehkonen should be considered day-to-day ahead of Game 5 in Colorado on Wednesday.