Recap: Avs battle the Wild in victorious result

Solid performances up and down the lineup put Colorado back in the win column.

Minnesota man-handled.

The Colorado Avalanche did exactly what they needed to do, rebounding from their loss Monday night with a 5-2 result over the Minnesota Wild Thursday night. Three-point nights from Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon led the way on offense, while Justus Annunen was stellar in the crease.

Eight different players scored a point in the game and were solid all around. At this point in the season, it is just what the doctor ordered. Here’s how it all went down!

First Period

The offense got going early thanks to the good stick of Artturi Lehkonen. He managed to corral a rebound through traffic and get it to go five-hole of Filip Gustavsson to make it 1-0.

While Colorado had all the momentum going at Gustavsson, one chance was all it took to even it up. Vinni Lettieri took said chance with a hard one-timer which caught everyone, including Annunen off-guard from the far circle to tie it.

But, it did not hamper the Avs’ offensive effort. Mikko Rantanen had two solid looks alone which missed the net and hit the crossbar respectively. There was also a massive scrum in front of Gustavsson which somehow didn’t end up in the back of the net. Overall, there was a lot more energy in the period than there was against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday.

It would eventually pan out for Colorado, as they got a power play with Kirill Kaprizov tripping Cale Makar. Just eight seconds in, Makar’s shot would be put in by Drouin out of midair, preparing for the Colorado Rockies home opener tomorrow and taking the lead into the intermission.

Second Period

Just 43 seconds in, the Avs would record their third goal of the game. It came from the Halifax Mooseheads connection: a MacKinnon slap pass deflected in by Drouin for his 50th point of the season.

Penalties then became a theme of the frame and were impactful the rest of the way. Colorado had one power play which was cut short by Rantanen taking a slashing penalty. It was only one of three penalties the Avs took in the period.

Annunen was phenomenal in all three of them but did end up letting one get by him. It took a screen after the Wild were all over him and the defense for a minute straight, finished off by a Declan Chisholm shot from the top of the circles to bring Minnesota within one with 20 minutes to go.

Third Period

The Avs got away with some trouble by Annunen behind the net, where the puck crawled out into the crease with a gaping net. Luckily, no Wild player got a stick on it to put it in. They kept on pushing through, pinning Colorado back on several shifts.

But then, the Avs woke up. Miles Wood’s rush in on a breakaway was miraculously stopped by Gustavsson, as Wood can’t buy a goal at the moment. They didn’t have to wait long to find a fourth, thanks to yet another connection between Drouin and MacKinnon.

From there, it would be shut down hockey for Colorado. They nearly went five minutes without a shot at one end and got in the way of pucks at the other. With Gustavsson pulled late trying to save Minnesota’s season, Rantanen put the game to bed with an empty netter and his 40th goal of the season.

Takeaways

The player of the game has to be Drouin, with his two goals and one assist in the game to pull Colorado back into the win column. He now has 51 points, only two points behind the career high he set in the 2016-17 and 2018-19 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens respectively. His connection with MacKinnon on the top line has been stellar and shined through in this game. Should he keep up his current scoring streak, he should break his career high and keep soaring at the right time heading into the postseason.

Shoutouts to a couple of other players are in order as well. Annunen was phenomenal in this game with 44 saves, particularly in the second period when he faced 18 shots and the team in front of him was being outplayed. His great play in the last week, appearing in three straight games, has given Alexandar Georgiev almost a full week of rest. Brandon Duhaime made his return to Minnesota for the first time since being traded and had an extra pep in step despite not recording a point. Finally, Minnesota Wild legend Zach Parise might’ve played his last game in Minny tonight and was good on the third line as well.

The win was crucial for the Avs after falling in Columbus on Monday. They lost ground against the Dallas Stars, and their fate it out of their hands. But the win helps, as they are now at 102 points and are three points behind the Stars. The Winnipeg Jets just beat the Calgary Flames tonight to pull within five points of the Avs, and need a lot of help to get ahead. Not much has changed otherwise in the race out West and makes Sunday’s game at home against Dallas that much bigger for Colorado.

Upcoming

The Avs are right back in action tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT.