Tonight on CNBC, it’s the Minnesota Wild hosting the Colorado Avalanche starting at 9 :30 p.m. ET. Following are some game notes, as compiled by the NHL on NBC research team:
• Wild center Mikael Granlund scored 5:08 into overtime to give Minnesota its first win of the series in Game 3. Granlund became only the fifth NHL player in the last 75 years to score his first career playoff goal in a 1-0 overtime game. The others were San Jose’s Andrei Zyuzin (1998), Philadelphia’s Ruslan Fedotenko (2002), San Jose’s Niko Dimitrakos (2004) and Colorado’s Ryan O’Reilly (2010). O’Reilly had come off the ice two shifts before Granlund potted the winner. Elias Sports Bureau
• The Wild registered a franchise postseason record 46 shots on goal in Game 3, led by Granlund and Zach Parise (seven apiece). Only once has Minnesota registered more shots in a game, regular season or playoffs. That came on Dec. 21, 2002, when they peppered goaltender and current coach Patrick Roy with 47 shots in a 4-2 loss at Pepsi Center.
• Avalanche forward, Nathan MacKinnon (1-6–7) needs two points to become the highest-scoring teenager playing in his first playoff series in the Expansion Era (1968-present). Elias Sports Bureau
• The Avalanche’s top line of Gabriel Landeskog – Paul Stastny – MacKinnon combined for 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) and 20 shots on goal in Games 1 and 2, both wins. In the Game 3 loss, the trio was held without a point on seven shots, primarily by the Wild’s checking line of Matt Cooke – Erik Haula – Justin Fontaine. With the seven-game suspension handed down to Cooke, the task of slowing down the Avs’ top line will be given to rookies Haula and Fontaine and second-year Nino Niederreiter.
• Avs center Joey Hishon is expected to make his NHL debut on the fourth line with wingers Paul Carey and Patrick Bordeleau. The last player to make his debut in the playoffs for the Quebec Nordiques/ Colorado Avalanche franchise was winger Mike Hough in 1985. Hough did not register any points.
If Hishon plays, he will be the 12th Colorado skater to make his NHL playoff debut this season, tying the Avs with Tampa Bay and Columbus for the most playoff debutants this postseason.
• Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper came into Game 3 with three career postseason appearances, all in relief. In 2013, he allowed four goals in 73:27 in Games 4 and 5 vs. Chicago (both losses). After stopping all 14 shots in 26:02 in Game 2 vs. Colorado, Kuemper posted a 22-save shutout in 64:44 in his first postseason start. Kuemper, who set a franchise rookie record with 16 consecutive starts in goal during the regular season, will make his second straight postseason start tonight
