May 12, 2026, 01:31 AM ET

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson marked his return from a five-game injury absence with an expensive penalty.

The seasoned 12th-year pro was back on the ice for the first time in this second-round NHL playoff matchup versus Minnesota, having healed from an upper-body issue. Officials handed him a double minor for striking Wild center Michael McCarron with the stick's blunt end amid a first-period skirmish.

Danila Yurov capitalized on the four-minute power play, giving the Wild an early lead in Game 4 on Monday while Manson sat in the penalty box. Colorado bounced back for a 5-2 victory, grabbing a 3-1 series advantage.

"A bit undisciplined, but it did not seem vicious enough for a five-minute major," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar noted. "I hoped for the best and that Manse could return quickly. They likely got the call right."

The first-period clash lingered in McCarron's thoughts post-game.

"He's a dirty player. Always has been," McCarron stated. "Not well-respected around the league."

McCarron delivered a heavy check that drove Manson into the boards, causing him to stumble and drag McCarron down. While trying to escape McCarron's tight grip, Manson jabbed lightly with his stick toward McCarron's face, prompting a visible reaction of pain.

Manson raised his hands in frustration when the major penalty review was signaled, and following an extended review, officials settled on the double minor, logged as butt-ending.

"I crushed him, he grabbed and pulled me down," McCarron explained. "He jammed the butt end right into my face. How is that not a five-minute major? The rulebook calls for five minutes on a butt-end to the face."

Manson expressed frustration over McCarron falling on him post-hit but insisted he had no intent to injure and simply lost track of his stick during the tangle.

"I did not mean to butt-end him. Did I want to punch his head? Yeah, I wanted to punch him in the head," Manson admitted.

The Avalanche unveiled key lineup tweaks ahead of Game 4, inserting Manson and playoff newcomer Jack Ahcan on defense in place of Nick Blankenburg and Sam Malinski, who sat out his first postseason game due to an upper-body injury. Manson had gone down in Game 3 of Colorado's first-round sweep over Los Angeles.

Manson notched a personal-best plus-42 rating in the regular season, along with a career-high 91 penalty minutes.

Bednar also turned to goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for his first start in almost a month, following Blackwood's relief appearance for Scott Wedgewood in the 5-1 Game 3 defeat to Minnesota.

First-line winger Artturi Lehkonen missed his debut game with an upper-body injury, prompting captain Gabriel Landeskog to join star center Nathan MacKinnon on the top line.

"My intention wasn't to butt-end him. Did I want to punch him in the head? I did want to punch him in the head."Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson

Wedgewood and Blackwood co-won the William M. Jennings Trophy as Colorado boasted the NHL's top goals-against average in the regular season. Wedgewood entered 6-0 in playoffs before yielding three goals in Game 3, leading to Bednar's early second-period pull on Saturday.

Blackwood, who handled the full first-round series against Dallas last year, stopped 19 shots in Game 4 after turning aside 12 of 13 in Game 3 relief.

"He stepped in and delivered just what I expected," Bednar said. "Strong practices lately, time to prep, fully dialed into the series with solid scouting."