ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Colorado Avalanche made a change in net for the first time this postseason, pulling Scott Wedgewood early in the second period of Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series on Saturday night after he allowed three goals to the Minnesota Wild.

Wedgewood made 10 saves before yielding to Mackenzie Blackwood, whose last game action was on April 14. With Wedgewood getting 43 starts and Blackwood making 36 starts, the Avalanche goalies shared the William M. Jennings Trophy given to the team with the best goals against average during the regular season.

Wedgewood, a career backup who took advantage of an early-season injury absence for Blackwood and wound up leading the league with a .921 save percentage and a 2.02 goals against average, entered Game 3 with a 6-0 record and a 2.12 goals against average with a .923 save percentage in the playoffs.

But some defensive breakdowns and undisciplined play in front of him set Wedgewood up for a struggle. Kirill Kaprizov scored on a four-on-four situation after Colorado's Parker Kelly and Minnesota's Ryan Hartman took roughing penalties for their scuffle. Then a hooking penalty on defenseman Devon Toews gave the Wild more than a minute of four-on-three play that Quinn Hughes capped with his goal from the top of the slot.

In the second period with the Wild on another power play after Kelly was called for holding Hughes, Hartman batted in an airborne shot to make it 3-0 and prompt coach Jared Bednar to make the switch.

Blackwood played the whole first-round series for the Avalanche when they lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games last year.

After backstopping the Wild to a six-game win over the Stars in the first round this year, rookie Jesper Wallstedt was the natural pick to start this series against the Avalanche. After the Wild lost the wacky opener 9-6 on Sunday, coach John Hynes went to Filip Gustavsson for Game 2.

Gustavsson, who has been the team's primary goalie for the last three seasons and made 49 starts during the regular season to Wallstedt's 33, didn't look sharp in the 5-2 loss on Tuesday. So the Wild went back to Wallstedt for Game 3.

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Victor Wembanyama plays with an agility and a gracefulness beneath his daunting wingspan that can make his dominance for the San Antonio Spurs on both ends of the floor appear almost effortless.

Fresh cuts and bruises on those long arms after fighting for paint position and jockeying for rebounds all night with the Minnesota Timberwolves made clear Wembanyama had to put in plenty of work to compile 39 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a 115-108 victory in Game 3 on Friday that gave the Spurs a 2-1 lead in their second-round NBA playoff series.

“It's going to happen," Wembanyama said. “They're Wolves, after all.”

The Spurs stayed unbeaten on the road in this postseason with their first win in a truly close game, after four victories in the first round over the Portland Trail Blazers with margins between 12 and 21 points.

“They just continue showing growth,” coach Mitch Johnson said.

Starting with Wembanyama. The 22-year-old phenom from France in his first NBA postseason has played in only seven playoff games, but he has wasted no time writing quite a legacy.

The only other players in NBA history to hit the 35-point, 15-rebound, five-block thresholds in a playoff game? Hall of Famers Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O'Neal. And only Wembanyama has now done it while shooting better than 70% from the floor. The 7-foot-4 star was 13 for 18 — and 10 for 12 from the line.

“It’s good to be along with the big fellas,” said Wembanyama, who credited Olajuwon for teaching him a spin fadeaway he sank over his mentor Rudy Gobert during a 16-point fourth quarter.

He did that despite picking up his fifth foul with 6:18 left, sitting for only about a minute down the stretch while helping the Spurs pull away each time the Wolves were within one possession.

“Just staying calm, getting my senses back,” Wembanyama said. “Our coaches tell us what to do. They give us the recipe, so as long as we stay steady and we trust our process we’re going to be all right.”

Wembanyama set an NBA postseason record with 12 blocked shots in the series opener, but he lamented his lack of impact on offense after the 104-102 loss to the Wolves on Monday. He stormed out of the gate for Game 2 by immediately asserting his dominance on both ends of the floor that sparked the Spurs to a 133-95 victory on Wednesday, and the travel north did nothing to stem that.

With a pair of effortless slams off lobs to start, the first one done in reverse, Wembanyama scored the first seven points for the Spurs as they sailed to an 18-3 lead. But he was even more of a force on defense, lurking in the paint and frequently prompting the Wolves to alter their layups and floaters to avoid being swatted.

“He's a world-class defender. You’re always aware of him,” Wolves guard Ayo Dosunmu said. "Yeah, he’s a gift at that end of the court.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA