Strange and dangerous situation unfolds again in Avalanche-Wild series

A bizarre and potentially dangerous situation continues to unfold during the playoff series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild.

During Wednesday night’s game in Colorado, the Avalanche’s in-arena cannon once again sent debris flying onto the ice surface, marking the third consecutive game in which the issue has occurred.

Following the blast from the cannon in the corner of the arena, debris scattered throughout center ice, forcing players and officials to immediately react. Members of the ice crew had to come onto the surface with shovels to remove the material before play could safely continue.

The repeated issue is quickly becoming a major talking point around the series, especially given the potential safety concerns for players skating at full speed during playoff hockey.

And despite the unusual delay, it certainly did not slow down the Wild.

Minnesota dominated the opening period and jumped out to a 2-0 lead after 14 minutes of play. The Wild nearly made it 3-0 as well, but officials waved off a goal after determining Michael McCarron had batted the puck into the net with his arm.

However, moments later, it really became 3-0 with Nick Foligno’s second tally of the night.

Still, the momentum clearly belonged to Minnesota in what was already shaping up to be another heated chapter in this increasingly chaotic series.