Avalanche at Wild
The Minnesota Wild will try to resume their climb toward the top of the Northwest Division when they host the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday to begin a home-and-home series. Minnesota, which trails first-place Vancouver by two points, has won five of its last eight games - losing to Anaheim (twice) and Chicago, the top two teams in the Western Conference. The Wild, who struggle on offense with an average of 2.24 goals, consistently play tight games with 10 of their last 15 contests decided by one goal and the other five by two.
The Avalanche have been plagued by inconsistency as they try to improve their position in the crowded Western Conference, where six points separate No. 3 Vancouver and No. 14 Colorado. The Avalanche's 2-1-0 homestand began when they ended Chicago's season-opening 24-game point streak with a rousing 6-2 victory Friday and ended with a 4-0 loss to Edmonton on Tuesday. Colorado is 2-8-3 on the road and winless (0-4-3) in its last seven games since a 4-3 shootout victory at Minnesota on Feb. 14.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), FSN Wisconsin, North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (10-11-4): With Colorado coming off a 3-2 victory over San Jose on Matt Duchene's goal with two-tenths of a second left in overtime, Tuesday's performance was inexplicable against a team finishing a nine-game road trip. The Avalanche, who had won five straight at home, figure to get better as Ryan O'Reilly continues to get acquainted with his teammates. The 22-year-old center has two goals and four points in six games since returning after a contract dispute. Right wing Milan Hejduk is expected to rejoin the lineup after missing the last five games with a torso injury. If he plays, the Avalanche will be without only one regular - right wing Steve Downie, who tore his ACL in the second game of the season.
ABOUT THE WILD (13-10-2): Owner Craig Leopold was in an optimistic mood when he addressed the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. "I see a Stanley Cup championship. ... It may not be this year. It may not be next year. But the beautiful thing is we have a window now that's not going to close in two or three years,'' Leopold said. Jason Zucker was back on the ice Wednesday, one day after receiving a vicious late hit from Anaheim's Corey Perry which resulted in a four-game suspension following the 2-1 loss. Wild coach Mike Yeo said Zucker, who did not suffer a concussion, is questionable to play and he'll consult with his rookie left wing before making a game-time decision.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota LW Zach Parise, who signed a 13-year, $98 million free-agent contract during the offseason, has a team-leading 11 goals - with three in his last three games.
2. Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog has one assist in his last six contests.
3. Minnesota signed 36-year-old D Brett Clark on Wednesday. Clark, who last played in the NHL with Tampa Bay in 2011-12, appeared in 18 games with Oklahoma City of the American Hockey League and had 16 assists and 17 points with a plus-7 rating. He is not expected to play Thursday.