Preview: The Wild's looking for a season-best five-game winning streak and to move five points up on the ninth-place Avalanche for the West's final playoff spot. Since Feb. 15, the Wild is tied for first in the NHL with 13 wins. The Wild rallied from a three-goal third-period deficit to win on opening night in Denver on Oct. 8.
Wild-Avalanche game preview
An overview of Saturday's 2 p.m. tilt vs. the Avs.
March 26, 2016 at 3:03AM
Players to watch: Wild LW Zach Parise's first of three hat tricks this season came in Denver on Oct. 8. C Erik Haula is riding a career-best seven-game point streak. Haula and LW Nino Niederreiter, the Game 7 overtime hero in the 2014 playoffs in Colorado, have 17 points each since Feb. 15. Niederreiter has five goals in the past seven games and 10 since Feb. 15. G Devan Dubnyk's nine wins since Feb. 28 lead the NHL in that span. Avs RW Jarome Iginla is the all-time leader against the Wild in points (71), goals (39), shots (253) and game-winning goals (10).
Numbers: The Wild's power play ranks 10th in the NHL (19.7 percent) and has 25 power-play goals since Jan. 21. … The Wild's penalty kill is 19-for-20 the past nine games.
Injuries: Wild LW Ryan Carter (upper body) is out. Avalanche C Matt Duchene (knee), C Nathan MacKinnon (knee) and D Brad Stuart (back) are out. Defenseman Eric Gelinas (elbow) is questionable.
MICHAEL RUSSO
about the writer
The team has continued to play high-level hockey for long enough that it’s no longer a surprise. President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin sees the reasons for that and sees no reason for it to stop.
