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National Hockey League
Colorado 5, Minnesota 2
When: 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 4, 2024
Where: Xcel Energy Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Referees: Kendrick Nicholson, Chris Schlenker
Linesmen: David Brisebois, Kilian McNamara
Attendance: 18803

Jonathan Drouin scored two goals and dished one assist, and the Colorado Avalanche pulled away for a 5-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in St. Paul, Minn.

Nathan MacKinnon also posted a three-point night with one goal and two assists for Colorado (48-22-6, 102 points). Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen added one goal apiece for the Avalanche.

Vinni Lettieri and Declan Chisholm each scored one goal for Minnesota (36-30-9, 81 points).

Avalanche goaltender Justus Annunen stopped 44 of 46 shots to earn the victory.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson turned aside 31 of 35 shots in the loss.

Colorado opened the scoring 4:34 into the first period. Gustavsson stopped a long shot from Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson, but Lehkonen collected the rebound and buried a shot into the net for his 14th goal of the season.

The Wild pulled even at 1-1 with 11:55 left in the first period. Lettieri ripped a one-timer from the right circle for his fifth goal of the season and his second in as many games.

Colorado made it 2-1 on the power play with 7:32 to go in the first period. Drouin parked near the right side of the crease and batted a loose puck out of midair and into the net.

Drouin struck again to increase Colorado's lead to 3-1 in the first minute of the third period. He redirected a hard pass from MacKinnon into the net for his second goal of the game and his 17th of the season.

Minnesota cut the deficit to 3-2 with 9:50 left in the second period. Chisholm, 24, notched the second goal of his career and his first on the power play.

The Avalanche increased their lead to 4-2 with 13:28 to play in the third period. MacKinnon notched his 48th goal on a two-on-one rush.

With his three points, MacKinnon increased his career-best offensive season to 130 points (48 goals, 82 assists) in 76 games.

Rantanen finished the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:28 remaining. It was his 40th goal of the season.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Colorado   Minnesota
Jonathan Drouin 3 Points Declan Chisholm 1
Jonathan Drouin 2 Goals Declan Chisholm 1
Nathan MacKinnon 2 Assists Kirill Kaprizov 1
Jonathan Drouin 1 Power Play Goals Declan Chisholm 1
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Justus Annunen .957 Save Percentage Filip Gustavsson .886
Justus Annunen 44 Saves Filip Gustavsson 31
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Colorado 36 5 1-2 3-4 8 34
Minnesota 46 2 1-4 1-2 4 32
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game at home against Winnipeg. The Wild have a W/L % of .514 after a win and .447 after a loss.
  • Colorado will play their next game on the road against Edmonton. The Avalanche have a W/L % of .617 after a win and .655 after a loss.