By Jamie MacDonald
FOXSportsNorth.com
December 23, 2010
The Wild are officially on what qualifies this season as a roll. Beating the Flames in consecutive games, even convincingly, is one thing. Beating the Avalanche, the league's highest-scoring team, by holding them to a single goal against and scoring three of their own, is quite another.
With a 3-1 win in Denver, Minnesota has now won three straight, matching a season high, and are now three games above .500 for the first time since Nov. 26.
"It was a great game for us tonight," said Todd Richards, who admitted it was not a spotless game.
There were breakdowns and anxious moments -- especially late in the second and throughout the third -- and the Wild benefited from Niklas Backstrom almost as much as they did some shaky goaltending from Craig Anderson, but Minnesota held on to close out the young and aggressive Avs.
BATTLE FOR NO. 4
The Wild and Avalanche, clicking on the season at about 23 percent, entered the game tied for the fourth-best power play in the NHL.
Both teams scored a power play goal, but Colorado also allowed the visitors to score a shorthanded goal to open the scoring.
Cal Clutterbuck started the play in Minnesota's end when Kevin Shattenkirk whiffed on a pass to defensive partner Matt Duchene. Clutterbuck jumped on the loose puck and headed up the ice. He wasn't able to convert on a deke attempt, but it did pull Anderson so far out of the net that when a rebound bounced out to Matt Cullen in the slot, there was little else to do with the puck other than put it in the open net for a 1-0 lead.
Minnesota's power play goal came early in the second, and it gave the Wild some breathing room thanks to a David Koci penalty at 2:20.
Koci, who earlier in the shift had thrown a check that bounced Eric Nystrom's face off a stanchion between the benches, was in the box for roughing when the Wild power play went to work.
Andrew Brunette, from behind the net, moved the puck up high, then went to the front of the net. He was able to lunge and gather a rebound on his backhand, quickly settle the puck, then flip a shot high and inside the post for a 3-1 lead at 2:46 of the second.
The goal chased Anderson in favor of Peter Budaj.
CULLY ON THE SPOT
Cullen also scored what proved to be the game-winner Thursday. While it helped to have Anderson, again, well out of position to make a save, Cullen's second goal of the game wasn't nearly the tap-in as his first.
Marek Zidlicky's shot from the point, intentionally wide, bounced off the back wall and toward Anderson. The goaltender turned to play it, but instead knocked it with his glove backward off the post and into harm's way.
Cullen managed to drive into the crease, plant a leg in front of and then out-battle John-Michael Liles for the bouncing puck. Cullen's second of the night made it 2-1 at 16:04 of the first.
By picking up an assist on Brunette's power play goal, Cullen recorded his first three-point game since Feb. 9, 2010.
CHIPPY IN COLORADO
For Game No. 33 on the schedule, one headed into a break on a Thursday night during the season of good tidings, the matchup had more than its share of tension.
Mikko Koivu earned an elbowing penalty in the first for an extra shot at Ryan O'Byrne. Jared Spurgeon, the smallest player on the ice, found himself jousting with the 6-foot-6 Koci after a whistle four minutes later. Two minutes after that, Kyle Brodziak took exception to a Ryan Wilson hit, and the two squared off to earn fighting majors.
Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Foote had their issues, too, as did Marty Havlat and Foote in the third period. Clutterbuck also seemed to get under the skin of Liles, who threw a jab at Clutterbuck in front of the Avalanche net midway through the third.
In other words, Jan. 14, 2011, when the Wild host the Avalanche, could be entertaining, especially considering Colorado beat Minnesota, 7-4, back on Nov. 27.
SAVE OF THE NIGHT
With 5:00 remaining in the second, Backstrom preserved the lead at a crucial time.
Colorado had just started applying pressure when a puck had quickly come off the wall to Backstrom's right, bounced off traffic in front and squirted to his left. Paul Stastny wheeled around with an uncontested shot that required Backstrom to flash his glove to make the save.
In all, Backstrom, who had to be very good throughout the third, made 36 saves for his third straight win.
UP NEXT
The Wild headed back to the Twin Cities after the game, and they'll come out of a mini holiday break shortly after Christmas to host the Red Wings Sunday at 6 p.m.
Not surprisingly, Detroit comes to town as the top team in the Western Conference and will provide another test of the Wild's recent run of good play.
The Red Wings will enter, however, having won only two of their previous six games in regulation, and they will be without the services of Pavel Datsyuk.
