The Avalanche’s 10-game winning streak has come to an end, but their 15-game undefeated streak is still intact.
Colorado got a late third-period tally from captain Gabe Landeskog to force overtime. It had the better chances in the extra period but was unsuccessful in the eventual shootout, falling 3-2 to the Minnesota Wild.
The Avs are 12-0-3 since suffering their only regulation loss way back on Oct. 25 in Boston.
Nathan MacKinnon opened the scoring in the first period. His 19th of the season (and 40th point) gave Colorado a 1-0 lead against the red-hot Jesper Wallstedt. Minnesota’s netminder had shutouts in three of his last four previous starts.
MacKinnon, who became the first player to 40 points, ended up assisting on the Landeskog game-tying goal with just under nine minutes remaining in regulation.
Colorado needed to tie up because Minnesota scored twice in the second. The back-and-forth offensive battle was one of the more entertaining games of the year. Both Wallstedt and the Avs’ Scott Wedgewood were matching each other save for save.
And that was with the majority of the game being played at five-on-five. Only two minor penalties were called; one for each team. Both power plays did not convert.
Wedgewood finished the night with 35 saves on 37 shots. He did not face any shots in the overtime period. Wallstedt, who is 7-0-2 this season, made 39 saves, including three in OT.
Positives: No Quit.
This game always felt like it would be a challenge. The Avs have played a lot of hockey and all streaks eventually end.
The best part of their performance tonight was the no quit mentality from this team in the third period. Running into a hot goalie could take the energy out of a lot of teams. But the Avalanche stuck to their game, did what they always do in third periods, and outscored the opposition.
Kudos to Landeskog for getting the all-important tally and keeping Colorado’s undefeated streak alive.
Negatives: Second Period Struggle
In all likelihood, a better second period out of the Avalanche would’ve probably changed the final result of this game. Colorado was outshot 14-8 in the middle frame and outscored 2-0. The Wild pressed for more than 10 minutes before they finally broke through.
They ended Wedgewood’s shutout bid with eight minutes remaining in the period and added another goal six minutes later. If anything, the Avs are lucky that Wedgewood was as dialed in as he was. Otherwise, they likely would’ve been chasing a two-goal deficit in the third period.
