Dubnyk, Wild defeat Avalanche again
The official game recap Colorado Avalanche vs Minnesota Wild.The Minnesota Wild continued their mastery of the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-1 win at Pepsi Center on Saturday.
The Wild have won all four games against the Avalanche this season, outscoring them 12-1.
Wild goalie Devan Dubnyk, who made 33 saves, has gone 15-3-1 since his Jan. 14 trade from the Arizona Coyotes.
The Wild (33-22-7) have won five of their past six games and are in the first wild-card spot for the Stanley Cup Playoff in the Western Conference, three points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. The Avalanche (27-25-11), who won three of their previous four games, are five points behind the Kings, who hold the second wild-card position.
Jason Pominville put the Wild in front 3-1 at 5:50 of the third period. Mikael Granlund fed Pominville skating down the right wing on a 2-on-1 rush, and Pominville shot the puck between Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov's pads for his first point in eight games.
Varlamov went to the bench for a sixth attacker with 4:04 remaining, and the Avalanche went on a 6-on-4 power play with 3:17 to play when the Wild's Nate Prosser was penalized for high sticking.
Colorado went 0-for-7 on the power play, and is 1-for-15 in its past four games.
Justin Fontaine and Erik Haula set up each other for goals to give the Wild a 2-1 lead through two periods.
The Avalanche, who were shut out by the Wild in the first three games this season, got a second-period goal from Maxime Talbot to end a 201:32 drought against Minnesota.
Fontaine put the Wild ahead 2-1 at 9:09 of the second period 11 seconds after they were held without a shot on goal during a power play with Avalanche defenseman Brad Stuart off for cross-checking.
Jonas Brodin hit Haula with a pass from the Minnesota end, and Haula skated down the left wing into the Colorado zone. He passed across to Fontaine moving down the opposite end for a point-blank shot past Varlamov.
Talbot was credited with the tying goal when a shot came off the boards. Dubnyk had the puck next to his right skate and he dragged it across the goal line. The goal was confirmed by a video replay.
The Wild, who began the game having killed 36 of 37 penalties in a 15-game stretch, killed four Avalanche power plays after Fontaine scored, including a 5-on-3 that lasted 39 seconds followed by a 5-on-4 advantage for 53 seconds.
Haula scored in the first period at 10:49. Fontaine passed to him along the goal line to the left of Varlamov. Haula shot the puck through a small opening inside the near post.
-- by Rick Sadowski for NHL.com --
Eurolanche.com, Worldwide, eurolanche@eurolanche.com
01/03/2015 - 07:28
