Josh Manson punishment adds fresh drama as Avalanche push Wild to brink

The ruling came from his butt-ending penalty on Michael McCarron in Game 4 between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild.

That matters more than the money. It keeps Manson in the lineup and leaves Colorado's blue line intact with a 3-1 series lead.

Manson received a 4-minute double minor at 7:07 of the first period. Minnesota scored on the power play, but Colorado still won 5-2.

For John Hynes, that is the painful part. The Wild got the call, got the opening, then lost control of the night.

McCarron drove Manson into the boards before Manson's stick comes up in a tight, ugly scramble.

This was the league drawing a line without changing the series. A suspension would have forced Bednar into a real defensive adjustment before Game 5.

Instead, Colorado keeps a hard matchup defender available while Minnesota has to turn frustration into something useful on the ice.

The Avalanche already entered the playoffs as a 55-16-11 team with a plus-99 goal differential. They are built to absorb chaos better than most clubs.

The Wild were 46-24-12 in the regular season, not some soft opponent. But this series now has a scoreboard problem and a temperature problem.

McCarron had every reason to be furious. Still, Minnesota can't let one ruling become the story inside its locker room.

Colorado gets Game 5 in Denver on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET with a chance to close. That is the real verdict now.

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