Minnesota Wild Top Colorado Avalanche in Shootout 2-1

   

The Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche faced off on Tuesday evening, Mar. 11, for the fourth time this season. The Avalanche, as did the Wild, had their full roster, the Wild were of course still missing injured Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Jonas Brodin. 

Minnesota Wild Top Colorado Avalanche in Shootout 2-1

The goaltending matchup was between Filip Gustavsson for the Wild and Mackenzie Blackwood for the Avalanche. The game started out back-and-forth, but the Wild jumped to a lead in the second, only for the Avalanche to tie it late in the third. The game required overtime and a shootout, which the Wild won. This moved the Wild’s record to 37-24-4 and the Avalanche’s to 39-24-3. 

Game Recap

The first period had chances, but they were minimal, and the period ended scoreless. The second period started out the same, with little to no chances but a lot of back-and-forth play. With just under nine minutes to play, Mats Zuccarello got the Wild on the scoreboard with the game’s first goal. Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy assisted him. That goal was the only one to make it through, and the Wild took the lead into the third period. 

The third period started the same as the first two, but with under six minutes left, the Avalanche got one past Gustavsson to tie it at one. Joel Kiviranta scored the goal, which Samuel Girard and Sam Malinksi assisted on. That goal was the only one tallied in the third, and overtime was needed to determine a winner. Neither team could get it done in the overtime either, so it went to a shootout where the Wild took the win thanks to goals by Zuccarello and Boldy, plus a couple of big saves by Gustavsson.

The Wild will continue their homestand with their next game on Thursday, Mar. 13, against the New York Rangers. The Avalanche will remain on the road as they head north to face the Calgary Flames on Friday, Mar. 14.