Josh Manson could return for Game 3 against the Wild
Josh Manson was in Minnesota with the Avalanche on May 9, and the injured defenseman could return as early as Game 3 against the Wild. That gives Colorado a possible boost on the blue line before a road game that already carried added weight with the series hanging at 2-0.
Josh Manson in Minnesota
"Josh Manson is in Minnesota with the team." He was on the trip, and he could return as early as tonight, a shift that would put him back into the lineup for a game Colorado has to manage on the road.
He was one of seven Avalanche defensemen on the trip, which kept the focus on how the group would be handled if he remained available. The biggest question leading up to Game 3 was his status, and that stayed tied to whether he would skate in the morning.
Bednar After Morning Skate
"We’ll know more once we get a chance to see if he skates this morning, and what Bednar tells us afterwards." That leaves the morning skate and the coach’s update as the cleanest checkpoints before any final lineup call is made.
For the Avalanche, the timing matters because Game 3 comes with Minnesota trying to avoid falling behind 3-0 in the series. Colorado’s defensive options were already being sorted on the trip, and Manson’s status sat at the center of that decision.
MacKinnon and the series
Nathan MacKinnon was also part of the broader team picture, with the forward up for the Hart Trophy for the fifth time in his career and looking to win the regular-season MVP for the second time. That is separate from Manson’s injury situation, but it shows how much individual and team stakes were running together as Colorado headed into Game 3.
The clean read for Colorado is simple: if Manson skates and gets cleared, the Avalanche can change their defensive group before the puck drops. If he does not, the team still has to move through the game with the seven defensemen already on the trip and keep the series from turning into a deeper hole in Minnesota.
