Avalanche 7, Wild 1
AVALANCHE 7, WILD 1: Jamie McGinn netted his third goal in two games and host Colorado scored four times in the second period and breezed to a home-and-home sweep of Minnesota.
Cody McLeod, Paul Stastny and Jan Hejda joined McGinn with a goal and an assist apiece and Mark Olver, Ryan O'Reilly and Jay McClement also tallied for the Avalanche, who matched a season high for goals.
Colorado, which posted a 2-0 road victory over the Wild on Sunday, is tied for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference with San Jose and Los Angeles.
Semyon Varlamov turned aside 21 shots and Steve Downie notched three assists after missing Sunday's contest with a shoulder injury.
Devin Setoguchi ended Varlamov's bid for his second straight shutout by scoring on a penalty shot 4:34 into the third period.
Rookie Matt Hackett yielded four goals on 21 shots before being pulled late in the second period for the Wild, who have dropped five in a row.
After McClement opened the scoring after cleaning up a rebound 3:05 into the contest, Colorado scored four times in a 5:41 span in the second period to seal the victory.
Playing in his fourth game with the Avalanche, McGinn doubled the advantage with a power-play tally 10:53 into the session. McGinn found himself alone in the slot and redirected Peter Mueller's sharp feed past Hackett for his 15th goal of the season.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Varlamov has yielded only five goals during a six-game stretch. The 23-year-old Russian has won all four career starts versus the Wild - yielding one goal in every contest. ... Colorado improved to 2-6-1 in its last nine home games versus Minnesota. ... Hackett turns 22 on Wednesday.