Avalanche at Wild
The Minnesota Wild attempt to extend their winning streak to five contests when they conclude their three-game homestand Saturday against the Colorado Avalanche. Minnesota improved to 4-0-2 at Xcel Energy Center with Thursday's 4-1 triumph over Los Angeles as Eric Fehr scored a goal and set up another to give him three points in his last two contests after notching four in 18 games last season.
Mikael Granlund also tallied against the Kings, giving him four goals and three assists during his six-game point streak. Zach Parise has recorded four points in his last three games for the Wild and is four shy of 700 for his career. Colorado seeks its fourth straight win on the road as it begins a three-game trip following a 6-3 home victory over Ottawa on Friday. The Avalanche scored five unanswered goals, including four in the third period, to erase a 3-1 deficit as Mikko Rantanen spearheaded the comeback with a tally and three assists.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), FS North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (7-2-2): Rantanen's four-point performance on Friday raised his season total to a league-leading 20 while Nathan MacKinnon registered a goal and two assists to pull into second place with 18 points. The 21-year-old Rantanen, who was drafted 10th overall in 2015, is well on his way to eclipsing the career high of 84 points he recorded in 81 games last season. Samuel Girard also scored a goal against the Senators - the first tally by a Colorado defenseman this campaign.
ABOUT THE WILD (5-2-2): Ryan Suter became the sixth player to appear in his 1,000th career NHL game with Minnesota on Thursday, joining Keith Carney, Andrew Brunette, Matt Cullen, Matt Cooke and Eric Staal. The 33-year-old defenseman, who is averaging a point per game through nine contests, will be honored for his achievement during a pregame ceremony on Saturday. Staal has gone three games without a goal, keeping him three away from 400 in the NHL.
OVERTIME
1. The Wild have gone 0-for-10 on the power play over their last four games and 3-for-26 on the season.
2. Colorado posted a season-opening 4-1 home victory over Minnesota on Oct. 4, with Rantanen scoring a goal and setting up another.
3. Minnesota assigned rookie LW Jordan Greenway, who notched one assist in nine contests, to Iowa of the American Hockey League on Friday.