A good measuring stick for the Wild to find out just where they are in their progression. A huge two points in the standings and a successful four point weekend at home.
Colorado brought a very strong effort into the XCEL Energy Center unloading 42 shots on the Wild net and Cam Talbot. They game was both entertaining with skill plays and great saves and physical from start to finish.
The Wild were playing their second game in two nights while the Avalanche were missing their captain and driving formless Gabriel Landeskog. Both teams had their top players step up as Kirill Kaprizov, Ryan Hartman, and Kevin Fiala all scored for the Wild and Mats Zuccarello dished out three assists. Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen scored for Colorado, while Nathan MacKinnon generated five shots on goal and had a key fight with Matt Dumba that sparked the Avalanche attack.
That MacKinnon Dumba scrap came after Dumba had hammered Rantanen with a big open 8ce hit just inside the Wild defensive zone. That fight gave Colorado an added boost and they took full advantage as Nazem Kadri got the Avs on the board just 36 seconds later and then Rantanen gave Colorado their only lead just over three minutes later on an Avalanche powerplay.
Ryan Hartman tied the game with his 27th of the season off a perfect pass from Mats Zuccarello. Hartman had also been highly instrumental in the opening goal of the contest with his nifty spin move out of the left corner and then his eventual full extension pass from behind the net to Laprizov who was able to stick it just inside the post as he beat Darcy Kuemper who did his best to close that off.
A character win and one to learn from as the Wild continue to grow into a contender. The bumps in the road have helped to shape this team and the internal competition is fueling the Wild upward.
Two more games on this current nine game homestand, Tuesday against the Flyers and Thursday vs. Pittsburgh. Six straight and a 6-1-0 record through the first seven gotta finish it strong and keep the momentum going for a tough road trip to follow.