When Nathan McKinnon is playing at his best, winning is simply routine in Colorado.

Avs win over the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in Game 2 to take a 2-0 series lead.

This was, in some ways, the easiest game of the playoffs so far for the Colorado Avalanche.

This one just felt a lot more comfortable than most of the other ones this playoff so far have.

Three of the four games in round one were obviously very tight defensive tile matchups,

and then game one of this series was a wild shootout.

This one felt kind of more normal.

It's still a playoff game, there was still plenty of tense moments, but by the end of it, the a abs did what they needed to do to get a multi-goal win.

There just weren't a ton of facets where it felt like Minnesota significantly outplayed Colorado.

I know the one area people are going to look at is shot totals where Minnesota outshot Colorado 31 to 23 in this game, but a decent portion of that is score effects.

When this game was within one, the abs were even or better on shot attempts and actual

shots on goal. And then when the abs got a multi-goal lead is when Minnesota starting

tilted the ice a little bit more. Playing from ahead and staying ahead is a crucial skill to

have, and the abs are great at that, especially as you get later into a hockey game.

And a big portion of that is Scott Wedgwood. He makes 29 saves in this game and gets the exact bounce back you would hope for after that rough game won.

I was on train start Blackwood for this game. Bednar did not. He stuck with his guy and he clearly made the right

decision. That's why he coaches and I'm a guy on a camera. And while the headliner of this game is absolutely Nathan McKinnon, things get rolling with the Ab's other top line star in Marty Natchis. It's the Molinsky-Kulak pairing with the Aves' top forward line and they kind of just give the puck to the stars and get out of the way. Up the ice,

this is a beautiful give and go back and forth

between McKinnon multiple times as they get all the way through the neutral zone into the offensive zone and it's ultimately a drop back to Natchez from McKinnon. And the two things I love from Natchez here. One, go to the front of the net. For some reason, Minnesota's giving you this space,

take it. And two, when you get there, I know you're on your backhand side. I know this might not be the true grade A chance, but sometimes you got to shoot the puck. Natchez does, and it goes in. I love that play between McKinnon and Natchez and particularly Natchez getting to the middle of the ice and shooting the puck.

I don't think it's the greatest shot in the world.

If a better play gets made, maybe the save gets and particularly Natchez getting to the middle of the ice and shooting the puck. I don't think it's the greatest shot in the world.

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