Jesper Wallstedt made 34 saves Saturday night as the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-1 in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, giving Minnesota its first victory of the series, according to ESPN.
Wallstedt had been benched for Game 2 before getting another chance in net. He made the most of it, turning away 34 Colorado shots and holding the Avalanche to a single goal as the Wild got back into the series.
Colorado's night went sideways early. Starting goaltender Scott Wedgewood was pulled after allowing a third goal on just 12 shots, having lasted only 24 minutes and 23 seconds. Mackenzie Blackwood replaced Wedgewood for the remainder of the game, but the damage was done. It was the first loss of the postseason for the Avalanche, who had entered Game 3 with a 2-0 series lead.
The Wild now trail the series 2-1, with Game 4 still to come.
