ST. PAUL…. The Minnesota Wild find themselves in the unenviable position of being down 2-0 in their NHL playoff series versus the Colorado Avalanche. The Av’s took both games out in Denver earlier in the week to get a very strong, if not unbreakable, foothold on the series. Teams down 2-0 in a series have only come back to win 12.7 percent of those series. So the Wild are in it deep. Oddly enough, the club could be returning to St. Paul up 2-0 just as easily. In Game Two, facing a 3-1 Av’s lead, the team scored late to pull within 3-2 before the Av’s put it away with an empty netter with 15 ticks left on the clock to close it out for the win.

In Game One, the Av’s opened the scoring, but the Wild came back with two tallies. Then the Av’s tied it up before the Wild went up 4-2 late in the 2nd. The Av’s tied it in the 3rd before getting an improbable tying goal with 14 seconds left in the 3rd. The Av’s then won on an OT score by Olympian Paul Stastny, who also got the tying goal. The Wild led in shots on goals and on faceoffs, but could not hold onto the lead when they had it.

The team is also having to deal with the Av’s team speed and is losing that battle. I have seen Colorado play several times this year, not just against the Wild, and the one thing I have noticed the most is that they are about a half second faster than everyone they go up against. If the basic formula for winning an NHL playoff series if you are the road dog is that you have to get a split in the first two games, the Wild came up short and will now have to hold on for dear playoff life. I would like to be more optimistic, but this series could be over before the six games I had predicted. I believe a team always has a chance—I mean, I DO believe in miracles—but I’m having a tough time conjuring up a Wild series win right now. They can’t win 4 out of 5 from the Av’s, not this year. Monday night could be very interesting, though…

IN THE REMAINDER OF THE NHL playoffs, the San Jose Sharks have suddenly taken a decisive two-games-to-none lead over the LA Kings by virtue of a 7-2 whuppin’ over the Kings this eve. The series now shifts to Los Angeles, where I could see the Kings winning both games. King net minder Jonathan Quick needs to find his game and fast. The Sharks have 13 goals in two tilts thus far, with Quickie surrendering 12 of them. This series is far from over, in my opinion. However, if the Sharks take one of the LA games, I think they will advance, not the Kings…

Also this evening, in an unevenly officiated game, the Montreal Canadiens bested the Tampa Bay Lightning by a 3-2 score to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their series. Tampa had a goal disallowed in the 2nd that would have tied the game at two, but Habs fan that I am, the refs made quite a mistake on this one and it should have counted. The entire complexion of the game and series could have changed had the goal been allowed, but Montreal has a solid opportunity to advance now, though I hate to see it riding on a mistake like that. Tampa pushed back quite hard the remainder of the game with former Bulldog star JT Brown having an outstanding performance. I have heard more than a few Bolts observers state that he is on the verge of breaking out as a pro player….

The Dallas NorthStars are down two games to none against the Anaheim Ducks, and I see that series as one where the NorthStars have to get a split in Orange County to make some things happen. I do not see them taking 4 of 5 from the Duck, as much as I would like that. The Duck went up 4-0 in Game One before the NorthStars stormed back, eventually running out of time for a 4-3 loss. The Stars scored first in Game Two but lost 3-2. The NorthStars won’t prevail here (against my pick), but if they win Game Three it could get interesting…

The Philly Flyers won at Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2011 this afternoon by a 4-2 score to even their series at a game apiece heading for the Cheesesteak City. My observation was that the Flyers got the Rangers to play their style of game, and the Rangers obliged and promptly lost control of the game. That’s not the way the Rangers play. Word is 50/50 on a return of Flyer number-one net minder Steve Mason, but I don’t see that as the factor that changes the series. Mason has had a nice comeback season, but I still don’t see him as an upper-echelon tender. The Flyers imposed their will today; the Rangers are now going have to return the favor…

The Bruins-Red Wings series is at a game apiece with the Wings taking Game One and the Bruins winning earlier today. This is a classic brains versus brawn matchup. I want the Winged Wheel to win, but they are going to have to take at least one game at the Motor City to hang with the Bruin. Best part of the series was Detroit’s Brendan Smith testing out big Zdeno Chara. After some pushing and shoving and a lot of jaw jacking, Smith said to Big Z to put down his stick and they would go. Big Z promptly responded and Smith kept backpedaling. The most relieved man in town when the refs stepped in was Smith…

The series with the most heat right now is the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks had a chance to leave the Gateway City with a two-game lead but let both slip through their gloves. In addition, a poorly timed hit on STL’s David Backes by the Hawks’ Brent Seabrook put Backsie on rubber legs and got Seabs a three-game suspension. The only thing going for the Hawks right about now is that they are at home…

The Pitt Penguins are even at a game apiece with the Columbus Bluejackets via a Game Two CBJ 2OT winner. I would say that the Jackets have probably looked to be the more aggressive club in five out of the eight periods played thus far. I picked the Pengwah but wouldn’t be surprised if the Jackets win the series. Monday eve will be a classic night of playoff hockey! See you next week… PEACE

Marc Elliott is a free lance sports opinion writer who splits time between his hometown in Illinois and Minnesota.