Colorado 2, Minnesota 1
When: 9:00 PM ET, Monday, December 7, 2015
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Referees:
Eric Furlatt, Kevin Pollock
Linesmen:
Brian Mach, Tim Nowak
Attendance:
16589
By The Sports Xchange
DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche, with the help of a little magic from their former stars, finally got past the Minnesota Wild.
Center John Mitchell scored at 3:35 of overtime, and Colorado beat Minnesota 2-1 Monday night.
Goaltender Semyon Varlamov made 19 saves, and defenseman Tyson Barrie had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which beat the Wild for the first time in three tries this season after a back-and-forth overtime.
"It's not fun for the goalie," Varlamov said of the three-on-three extra period. "Maybe it's more fun for the forwards because they're creating so many chances. The fans love it, and this game is for the fans. They love to watch scoring chances, they like to watch when the goalies make a big save."
The Wild have dominated the Avalanche since rallying to beat Colorado in a first-round playoff series in 2014. Before Monday, Minnesota was 6-0-0 against Colorado with four shutouts since the start of the 2014-15 season.
That finally changed in front of members of the 20th anniversary team that helped the franchise win Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001. The 16 former players were introduced before the game, with the biggest cheers going to Peter Forsberg, Ray Bourque and current coach Patrick Roy.
Mitchell made it a celebration with his sixth of the season. He produced the winner after taking a pass from center Matt Duchene and skating to the right circle. His shot rattled off the goalpost to beat goaltender Darcy Kuemper for his sixth of the season.
"It feels really good," Mitchell said. "They've had our number here for a little while here now."
The mounting losses became a source of frustration for the Avalanche.
"This is a team, we hate (the Wild), to be honest," Barrie said. "It's a rivalry for us, and they've had our number over the last season and a half. This is a big win for us."
Kuemper recorded 18 saves, and left winger Zach Parise had a goal for Minnesota, which had won three in a row.
The teams met Saturday in St. Paul, Minn., and the Wild won 3-0, outshooting the Avalanche 44-20. Kuemper made nine saves in relief of Devan Dubnyk, who sustained a groin strain when the game was still scoreless. He is expected back late this week.
Colorado limited the shots in the rematch and took a 1-0 lead early in the second period when Barrie put in a cross-ice pass from center Carl Soderberg at 4:13.
Barrie's goal was the first for the Avalanche against Kuemper in his four career games facing Colorado. It was also the first goal allowed by the Wild in the last 178:52 of play.
"It was a great pass by Carl on that goal," Barrie said. "I just had to go to the net and stop, and it literally hit my stick and I had the whole net, so it was a great play by Carl."
Minnesota struggled to create scoring chances but finally tied it when Parise banged in a rebound at 13:51 of the third period. It was his eighth of the season and first since Oct. 25.
"He made a good save on me on that first whack, and the rebound luckily stayed right there," Parise said. "So I was able to get the second by him."
The teams had great chances in overtime. Minnesota defenseman Ryan Suter came in alone on Varlamov, but the goalie got his right arm on the shot to keep it tied.
The Wild are now 1-5 in overtime games this season.
"This can't continue," Minnesota coach Mike Yeo said. "It's frustrating. You get a couple of really good looks there, that's frustrating, but we've got to find a way to make sure they don't get one."
NOTES: The Avalanche hosted several members of their 20th anniversary team Monday. Former stars Ray Bourque, Peter Forsberg, Stephane Yelle and Sandis Ozolinsh as well as former team president and general manager Pierre Lacroix attended the morning skate. Bourque said about a dozen former players went out to dinner together Sunday night. ... Avalanche D Brad Stuart continues to sit with a back injury. He has not played since Nov. 10. ... Minnesota rookie D Mike Reilly was the team's only healthy scratch. ... Wild G Niklas Backstrom suited up for the first time this season. He served as Darcy Kuemper's backup.
Top Game Performances
| Minnesota |
|
Colorado |
|
Zach Parise 1 |
Points |
Tyson Barrie 2 |
|
Zach Parise 1 |
Goals |
Tyson Barrie 1 |
|
Mikael Granlund 1 |
Assists |
Tyson Barrie 1 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Darcy Kuemper .900 |
Save Percentage |
Semyon Varlamov .950 |
|
Darcy Kuemper 18 |
Saves |
Semyon Varlamov 19 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Minnesota
|
20 |
1 |
0-2 |
0-0 |
2 |
34 |
| Colorado
|
20 |
2 |
0-0 |
2-2 |
6 |
28 |
Upcoming Games
-
Colorado will play their next game at home against Pittsburgh. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .273 after a win and .529 after a loss.
-
Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Arizona. The Wild have a W/L % of .600 after a win and .455 after a loss.
For more information, contact us