{"id":490778,"date":"2026-05-13T13:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=490778"},"modified":"2026-05-13T13:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T17:07:10","slug":"nhl-predictions-round-2-game-5-stanley-cup-playoffs-minnesota-wild-vs-colorado-avalanche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2026\/05\/13\/nhl-predictions-round-2-game-5-stanley-cup-playoffs-minnesota-wild-vs-colorado-avalanche\/","title":{"rendered":"NHL Predictions: Round 2, Game 5, Stanley Cup Playoffs Minnesota Wild vs Colorado Avalanche"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the NHL Predictions for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Each day, our writers here at\u00a0<\/span>Last Word On Hockey<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>look at the games and give in-depth analysis. Our team breaks down the key matchups, storylines, and stats, then makes predictions based on how they might play out. For this edition, we will look at the Minnesota Wild<\/a> against the Colorado Avalanche<\/a> in Game 5 of Western Conference second-round playoff action<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Don\u2019t forget to check out more NHL Predictions, as our writers will continue this series throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, up to the final game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

NHL Predictions with Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche<\/span><\/strong>
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Playoff Series:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Colorado leads 3-1<\/span><\/p>\n

Time:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>8<\/span>:<\/span>00\u00a0<\/span>p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) | 5:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)<\/p>\n

How to Watch: Canada: Sportsnet+, SN, CBC, TVAS, TVAS+<\/strong><\/h3>\n

United States: HBO Max, TNT, truTV<\/h3>\n

Location:<\/strong>\u00a0Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul, Minnesota<\/span><\/p>\n

The Colorado Avalanche, following a convincing 5-2 win in Game 4, are on the verge of advancing to the conference finals. The Wild are coming off arguably one of their worst performances of the playoffs, and will play with their season on the line tonight.<\/p>\n

The Avalanche Story<\/h3>\n

The Avs are firmly in the driver’s seat, and have been for most of this series. They have been unrelenting in their offence, and they are getting much-needed depth scoring as well. Parker Kelly scored his first career playoff goal, and Ross Colton chipped in with a valuable depth goal as all four lines contributed on the scoreboard in some way. Head Coach Jared Bednar used words like “dedicated”<\/em>\u00a0and “relentless”<\/em>\u00a0to describe how his team played in Game 4.<\/p>\n

Josh Manson and Joel Kiviranta returned to the lineup in Game 4, and Jack Ahcan made his playoff debut. Sam Malinski and Artturi Lehkonen are listed as day-to-day, which will likely mean they will be game-time decisions for Game 5.<\/p>\n

The Wild Story<\/h3>\n

There needs to be an element of focus going into Game 5. There was some drama on and off the ice involving Josh Manson and Michael McCarron, where Manson butt-ended McCarron, resulting in a $5,000 fine for Manson. McCarron went on to ESPN’s intermission report for an interview with PK Subban, where he said, “He’s a dirty player. Always has been.”<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>Whether the play was dirty or not, the Wild as a team needs to put it behind them and play to win and not for any measure of revenge. The sweetest revenge would be to win this game.<\/p>\n

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#GoAvsGo<\/a> D Josh Manson is issued a double minor for butt ending #mnwild<\/a> F Michael McCarron. <\/p>\n

NHL Rule 58.5 indicates a double minor is issued for an attempt to butt end, and an actual butt end should be a 5-minute major and a game misconduct. pic.twitter.com\/0rq2MsHqqW<\/a><\/p>\n

— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) May 12, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n