Schedule and 2008 Results
Regular Season Records: Minnesota 44-28-10=98pts, Colorado 44-31-7=95pts
Game 1 on Wednesday, 09 April: Colorado wins at Minnesota, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 2 on Friday, 11 April: Colorado loses at Minnesota, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 3 on Monday, 14 April: Minnesota wins at Colorado, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 4 on Tuesday, 15 April: Minnesota loses at Colorado, 5-goals-1
Game 5 on Thursday, 17 April: Colorado wins at Minnesota, 3-goals-2
Game 6 on Saturday, 19 April: Minnesota loses at Colorado, 2-goals-1

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Colorado Avalanche hosted and defeated the Minnesota Wild 2-goals-1 for a 4-games-2 win of MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029. The series 1029 win improves the Colorado Avalanche best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 19-8 overall and 9-2 in the Preliminary round. The series 1029 loss drops the Minnesota Wild best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 2-3 overall and 1-2 in the Preliminary round. Colorado thus avenges its series 879 loss to Minnesota in the 2003 NHL Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Colorado Avalanche in series 1029 is WLLWWW: Series 1029 thus becomes the ninth NHL Preliminary-round series, the 19th NHL series (all rounds), and the 27th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow such a win order to completion.

After Game 5: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029 back in Minnesota for Game 5, the visiting Colorado Avalanche defeated the host Wild 3-goals-2 for a series 1029 Game 5 win and a 3-games-2 series 1029 lead. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Colorado Avalanche have an 8-4 series record and a 6-6 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Minnesota Wild have a positively perfect 2-0 series record and an equally perfect 2-0 Game 6 record.

After Game 4: Breaking a three-game streak of 3-goals-2 overtime decisions, the Colorado Avalanche hosted and defeated the Minnesota Wild 5-goals-1 to knot MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Colorado Avalanche have a 7-3 series record and a 7-3 Game 5 record, while the Minnesota Wild are tied 2-games-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series for the first time.

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029 in Colorado for Games 3-4, the visiting Minnesota Wild scored 11:58 into the first overtime period to defeat the host Colorado Avalanche 3-goals-2 and take a 2-games-1 series lead. The Minnesota Wild, in its fifth best-of-7 NHL playoff series, thus lead such a series 2-games-1 after three games for the first time. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Colorado Avalanche have a series record of 3-3 and a Game 4 record of 5-1 with an active four-Game 4 winning streak. Series 1029 has thus become only the third best-of-7 format NHL playoff series in which Games 1-3 were all decided in overtime; the first two were series 84 (pitting the Montreal Canadiens against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1951 NHL Finals) and series 587 (pitting the Edmonton Oilers against the Los Angeles Kings in the 1991 NHL Quarterfinals).

After Game 2: Evening MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029 at 1-game-all, the Minnesota Wild hosted and defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-goals-2 in the first overtime period of series 1029 Game 2. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Colorado Avalanche have a 5-6 series record and a 6-5 Game 3 record, while the Minnesota Wild have a perfect 2-0 series record and an equally perfect (though diametrically opposite) 0-2 Game 3 record. Series 1029 is the first NHL Preliminary-round series to offer overtime endings in both Games 1 and 2 since series 531, in which the St. Louis Blues hosted the old Minnesota North Stars in Games 1 and 2 and won both games on overtime tallies by 4-goals-3 margins; St. Louis would win that 1989 NHL Preliminary-round series in five games.

After Game 1: The Colorado Avalanche visited and defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-goals-2 in the first overtime, thereby taking a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029. When leading a best-of-7 playoff series 1-game-nil, the Colorado Avalanche have a 14-3 series record (with an active six-series winning streak) and a 12-5 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 playoff series 1-game-nil, the Minnesota Wild have a 1-2 series record and a 1-2 Game 2 record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2007-08 regular season, Minnesota finished three points ahead of Colorado. From 1939 through the 2007 NHL Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by three regular-season points, they have posted an 11-15 (.423) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1029 is the 27th best-of-7 playoff series for the Colorado Avalanche, and the fifth for the Minnesota Wild. In best-of-7 playoff series, Colorado has an 18-8 series record, an 8-2 Prelim-round series record, and a 17-9 Game 1 record, while Minnesota has a 2-2 series record, a 1-1 Prelim-round record, and a 1-3 Game 1 record. Series 1029 is the second best-of-7 meeting between Colorado and Minnesota: In MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 879 (the first-ever for Minnesota), the Minnesota Wild surmounted a 3-games-1 deficit to defeat the Colorado Avalanche 4-games-3 in their 2003 NHL Preliminary-round series.