Furious Colorado comeback sends Wild packing

DENVER — Another chapter in the long book of Minnesota sports heartbreak was written on a hot night on the edge of the Rockies late Wednesday.

Trailing by a pair of goals in the final minutes of regulation, the Colorado Avalanche rallied to tie, then got an overtime winner from Brett Kulak for a 4-3 victory, ending the Minnesota Wild’s season with a 4-1 win in their best-of-seven, Western Conference semifinal series.

Minnesota got a pair of first-period goals from Nick Foligno, and another from Marcus Johansson in the opening minute of the game, but could not find a way to win a road game in the series. Jesper Wallstedt had 30 saves in the loss, dropping his postseason record to 5-5.

Needing to get Matt Boldy out of a slump after the star forward entered Game 5 with just one goal — into an empty net — in the series, Wild coach John Hynes moved Michael McCarron to center on the second line between Boldy and Johansson. The move paid an immediate dividend, as Boldy set Johansson up for a goal just 34 seconds into the game.

Foligno doubled the lead, getting his first playoff goal in a Wild sweater after a perfect set-up pass from Nico Sturm. After an apparent McCarron goal came off the board when video review showed the puck was batted in by hand, the Wild made it 3-0 for real when Sturm set up Foligno’s second goal of the night.

It was the second multi-goal playoff game of Foligno’s career.

The Wild’s three goals on 13 first period shots were enough to prompt a Colorado goalie change, with Scott Wedgewood coming in to start the middle frame.