Wild win in shootout to snap Avalanche's 6-game win streak

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy scored the winner in a shootout to give the Minnesota Wild a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

Mats Zuccarello scored in regulation and in the shootout for the Wild, while Filip Gustavsson made 27 saves.

Joel Kiviranta scored and Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 22 shots for the Avalanche, whose six-game win streak came to an end.

Zuccarello opened the shootout with a goal, and Gustavsson stoned Nathan McKinnon on the other end. After Boldy scored, Martin Necas' rush trickled off the end of his stick to give Minnesota the win.

The Wild took a 1-0 lead midway through the second when they capitalized on a turnover by Necas in his defensive zone. Boldy poked the puck to Marco Rossi, who pushed it ahead to a charging Zuccarello. His high wrist shot beat Blackwood over the shoulder.

Kiviranta tied it at 14:20 of the third period when he tipped Samuel Girard's long backhander past Gustavsson.

Takeaways

Avalanche: After scoring 31 goals during a 6-0-0 homestand — one that included a 5-2 loss to the Wild on Feb. 28 — Colorado hit the road and narrowly avoided being shut out. Kiviranta's goal and Blackwood's strong play helped the visitors leave with a key point.

Wild: Minnesota is 1-1 at the start of a stretch in which it will play 10 of 11 games at home. The victory gave them 78 points, three fewer than the Avalanche, who currently hold the third playoff spot in the Central Division.

Key moment

Shortly after Zuccarello’s goal, Gustavsson kept it tied as he slid over to deny Necas a back-door opportunity.

Key stat

MacKinnon had posted two or more points in five of his last six games, but the Wild kept the NHL's scoring leader off the board.

Up next

The Wild host the New York Rangers on Thursday night, while the Avalanche visit Calgary on Friday night.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl