The Colorado Avalanche took a 2-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild with a 5-2 victory Tuesday, and the most revealing aspect of their special-teams success came from their least offensive defenseman. Brett Kulak quarterbacked both power-play goals despite posting a 46% on-ice expected goals percentage through 83 regular-season games, a deployment choice that exploited a specific structural weakness in Minnesota's penalty kill rather than relying on Colorado's usual star-driven approach.
The adjustment wasn't cosmetic. Kulak recorded two assists in 21:04 of ice time, both on power-play conversions that featured him attacking from the point rather than serving as a retrieval option. Gabriel Landeskog finished the first sequence at 8:24 of the opening period after Kulak initiated pressure high in the zone. Nathan MacKinnon converted the second at 13:18 of the third period, again with Kulak pushing the pace from up top. Colorado finished 2-for-2 on the power play against a Minnesota penalty kill that entered the game allowing just 2.14 expected goals per 60 minutes - the third-lowest rate among playoff teams.
What makes this significant is not that Kulak suddenly became an offensive threat. He finished with one shot on goal and has generated just 3.4 expected goals across 83 regular-season games, 2.4 goals below what those chances should have produced per MoneyPuck data. His 46% on-ice expected goals share ranks last among Colorado's regular defensemen, a number that reflects deployment against top competition in defensive situations more than ability. This is a player whose primary value comes from eating defensive-zone minutes while Cale Makar and Devon Toews drive play at the other end.
The coaching staff identified a specific matchup advantage and deployed their most defensively burdened blueliner in a completely different role to exploit it. Minnesota's penalty-kill structure relies on forwards faltering hard to the net-front and challenging passes to the bumper position, which leaves the high slot and point areas more open than typical penalty kills. Kulak's two assists came directly from exploiting that space, with both goals originating from sequences where he held the puck at the point long enough to draw Minnesota's forwards out of position.
The first power-play goal illustrated the concept cleanly. Kulak maintained possession at the blue line while Minnesota's penalty killers committed to pressuring MacKinnon and Martin Necas lower in the zone. That created a shooting lane Kulak used to keep the puck in dangerous areas, eventually leading to Landeskog's finish. The sequence lasted longer than most Colorado power-play possessions this season because Kulak didn't defer immediately to the more offensively gifted players. He forced Minnesota to respect his position, and created the chaos that led to the goal.
The second power-play goal at 13:18 of the third period followed the same template. Kulak again attacked from the point, this time with Nazem Kadri providing the secondary assist alongside him. MacKinnon's finish came after Kulak's presence at the top of the zone forced Minnesota's penalty killers to respect multiple threats simultaneously. The Wild couldn't commit entirely to MacKinnon or Landeskog because Kulak had established himself as a legitimate option rather than a placeholder.
The underlying numbers from Natural Stat Trick reveal how thoroughly Colorado controlled this game beyond the special-teams edge. The Avalanche posted a 71.7% expected goals share at five-on-five, generating 2.84 expected goals against Minnesota's 1.12. They held a 58.2% Corsi advantage and created 14 high-danger chances compared to Minnesota's seven. Kirill Kaprizov and Marcus Johansson scored for the Wild, but both goals came against the run of play - Kaprizov on an unassisted rush, Johansson on a high-danger tip.
Scott Wedgewood stopped 29 of 31 shots for Colorado, posting a .935 save percentage while outperforming his expected goals against by 0.42 according to Evolving Hockey. Filip Gustavsson struggled at the other end, allowing four goals on 23 shots before Valeri Nichushkin added an empty-netter. Gustavsson finished with a -0.84 goals saved above expected, meaning he allowed nearly a full goal more than the quality of chances should have produced.
MacKinnon finished with three points, including the third-period power-play goal and two assists. Landeskog added a goal and an assist. Necas contributed a goal and an assist in the opening period. Those performances matter, but they don't explain why Colorado's power play suddenly looked different against a Minnesota penalty kill that had allowed just one goal in their first-round series against Dallas.
This represents a meaningful departure from Colorado's power-play structure through most of the season. The Avalanche typically run their special teams through MacKinnon's vision and Makar's offensive instincts from the point, with other defensemen serving primarily as puck retrievers or secondary options. Kulak's 46% on-ice expected goals share reflects how little offensive responsibility he normally carries. His role is to defend, to clear pucks, to allow the stars to take risks knowing someone responsible is covering behind them.
The coaching staff didn't ask Kulak to become Makar. They asked him to attack space that Minnesota's penalty-kill structure left available, and he executed that assignment on both power-play goals. Colorado's power play generated 8.42 expected goals per 60 minutes on the man advantage compared to Minnesota's 2.14, according to HockeyViz zone entry data. The Avalanche completed carry-ins on 83% of their power-play entries, maintaining zone time for 4:12 per opportunity compared to Minnesota's 2:58.
Colorado now leads the series 2-0 with the series shifting to Minnesota for Games 3 and 4. The Avalanche improved to 6-0 at home in the 2026 playoffs and extended their overall playoff winning streak to six games. Minnesota, which went 4-2 in the first round against Dallas, has now dropped consecutive games on the road by a combined score of 14-8.
The question moving forward is whether this adjustment represents a sustainable tactical advantage or a one-game adaptation. Minnesota will adjust their penalty-kill structure if Colorado continues using Kulak this way. The Wild's coaching staff will address the high-slot vulnerability that Kulak exploited twice. Colorado will need to counter-adjust, which might mean returning Kulak to his traditional role or finding new ways to attack the space Minnesota takes away.
Watch how Minnesota's penalty kill responds in Game 3. If they start respecting Kulak's position at the point, that creates different opportunities for MacKinnon and Landeskog lower in the zone. If they ignore him and dare Colorado to shoot from the point with their least offensive defenseman, the coaching staff will need to decide whether Kulak can continue generating dangerous chances from that position. The answer to that question will determine whether this tactical shift was clever adaptation or temporary exploitation of a specific vulnerability.
Colorado dominated possession at five-on-five as well, controlling 68% of carry-ins compared to Minnesota's 52% and generating 11.2 zone entries per 60 minutes against Minnesota's 9.4. The Avalanche held the puck in the offensive zone for 14:22 compared to Minnesota's 11:45, sustaining pressure that led to MacKinnon's line posting 1.62 expected goals and seven high-danger chances alongside Necas and Landeskog.
The Wild hung around through two periods despite the possession differential, with Kaprizov's response goal coming just six seconds after Necas opened the scoring. But Colorado's depth eventually overwhelmed Minnesota's defensive structure. Twelve different Avalanche skaters have now recorded points across the first two games of this series, spreading offensive production across four lines in a way that Minnesota has struggled to match.
Colorado's 55-16-11 regular-season record gave them 121 points and the Central Division title. Minnesota finished 46-24-12 with 104 points, 17 points back of the Avalanche. That gap showed in the underlying metrics Tuesday, with Colorado controlling play at a rate that suggests the final score understated their advantage. The Wild will need to solve both Colorado's power play and their five-on-five possession game to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit heading into Game 3.