Marcus Johansson sparks Avalanche's 9-6 Game 1 win

Marcus Johansson helped Colorado open the Western Conference Second Round with a 9-6 win over Minnesota on Sunday, a Game 1 that produced 15 goals and pushed the series into a different kind of pressure test. Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET at Ball Arena in Denver, and both teams said they want the game to look much more like the hockey that got them here.

Johansson and Tarasenko

Vladimir Tarasenko put the Wild’s response in plain terms before Game 2. "I think it's more not about who’s able to score yesterday; we have to play better defensively and try to limit their chances," he said Monday. He added, "At the end of the day -- I’ve said it before -- it’s important how you react."

Tarasenko also framed the opener as a one-game hole, not a series verdict. "I don't think there is such a big difference to lose 9-6 or 1-0; it's down by one in the series," he said. That leaves Minnesota trying to turn the series back toward the structure that carried it through the first round.

Bednar and Hynes

Jared Bednar said Minnesota’s defensemen were among the league’s top 5-8 teams for exits and entries into the offensive zone and scoring chances from defensemen on the rush. "That's something we talked about coming into the series, right?" he said Monday. "So, we were prepared for that coming in."

John Hynes saw the same speed from the other bench, and it pulled Minnesota out of shape in spots. "Their (defensemen) are good skaters and are really active right, so there are times we got rolled off the forecheck, and that allowed them to get some rush play there," he said. "Like, those are some of the details I’m talking about where they’re a very good rush team, so you have to be on point with your details to try and do a better job with that."

Ball Arena Tuesday

Colorado also pointed to the numbers behind its early playoff run. Minnesota beat the Dallas Stars in six games in the first round, while the Stars had four 5-on-5 goals in six games. The Avalanche had 16 5-on-5 goals in five games, another sign that Game 1’s 9-6 finish was not the norm for either side.

Hynes said Minnesota was "a little bit out of sorts in some of those details" in Game 1, and that is the part the Wild have to clean up if they want to pull the series back level in Denver. The opener gave them 15 goals to sort through; Tuesday gives them a chance to do it in a setting where both clubs say the rush chances should not pile up the same way again.