Wild at Avalanche
There isn't much at stake when Colorado hosts the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, although the Avalanche are trying to avoid becoming the worst team in the shootout era. Colorado needs five points in its last three games to avoid recording the fewest in a season since the shootout was implemented in 2006-07, with Buffalo's 52 points in 2013-14 the standard for futility while Minnesota is locked into second place in the Central Division and meets St. Louis or Nashville in the playoffs.
The Wild defeated Carolina 5-3 on Tuesday for their second straight victory and first winning streak since February as they try to enter the playoffs with momentum after a puzzling 4-11-2 stretch while the Avalanche defeated Chicago 4-3 in overtime Tuesday for their second victory in three contests after a seven-game losing streak. Minnesota's top line of Nino Niederreiter, Eric Staal and Zach Parise is getting hot at the right time with a combined eight points Tuesday. "Hopefully we stay together and we're able to learn more about each other and where the other guy likes to go and build up that chemistry a little bit," Parise told reporters. The teams split the first four of five meetings this season with the Wild winning the last encounter 5-2 at home on Sunday as Erik Haula recorded a goal and an assist.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), Altitude (Colorado)
ABOUT THE WILD (47-25-8): Niederreiter (24 goals, 55 points) scored twice Tuesday, giving him four goals and two assists in his last five games while Staal (team-high 27 goals, 63 points) recorded nine points (three goals) in his last nine games after collecting two assists Tuesday. Parise (19 goals, 41 points), who missed 13 games this season with a variety of injuries and ailments, has 10 points (three goals) in his last 10 contests after scoring in his second straight game Tuesday. Jason Zucker (21 goals, 46 points) missed the last three contests with a lower-body injury while defenseman Jared Spurgeon left Tuesday's game with a lower-body injury.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (22-54-3): Matt Duchene (18 goals, 22 assists) recorded a goal and two assists Tuesday, ending a nine-game point drought and registering his first multi-point performance since Feb. 19. "It's just when the puck decides to go in, it goes in," Duchene, who has the worst plus-minus in the NHL (minus-33), told reporters. "When it doesn't, it doesn't." Tyson Jost, the 10th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is a minus-2 in three games, averaging 15:27 of ice time and still looking for his first point.
OVERTIME
1. Minnesota, which has lost six straight on the road, leads the Western Conference with 256 goals - 17 clear of Winnipeg.
2. Colorado D Erik Johnson scored in overtime Tuesday, giving him four points in his last five games.
3. Wild F Jordan Schroeder (six goals, zero penalty minutes in 36 games) scored in his last two contests, the first time in his career he's scored in consecutive games.