Wild blowout Avs to finish off fantastic road trip
Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise, left, reacts after scoring a goal against Colorado Avalanche goaltender Philipp Grubauer in the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, in Denver.[(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)]
Nico Sturm led a balanced Minnesota scoring attack with two goals, Kaapo Kahkonen was sharp in making 30 saves and the Wild earned their fourth straight win by beating the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 on Wednesday night.
Mats Zuccarello, Zach Parise, Marcus Foligno and Ryan Hartman also scored for the Wild, who finished 4-1 on their road swing. In all, 10 Minnesota players had at least one point.
“Throughout the lineup, everybody is playing really well,” Kahkonen said. “Great to see.”
It was a milestone night for Parise, who earned career point No. 800 with his goal.
The Wild scored midway through the first period to take the early lead. Minnesota entered the offensive zone on a 3-on-1, and Kaprizov sent a pass across to Zuccarello, who beat Grubauer with a sharp-angle shot at 9:44. It was his third of the season.
Colorado broke through when Compher got a pass from Samuel Girard as he came down the right side, and his quick shot beat Kahkonen at 7:21.
The Wild answered with two quick ones. Parise gave Minnesota the lead when he set up on the left side of the net and tipped in a pass from Matt Dumba at 12:31. It was his third of the season and the 800th point of his career.
Less than three minutes later, Foligno made it a two-goal lead when he got a pass from Hartman as he came down the slot and beat Grubauer at 15:11. It was his fourth of the season.
With the win, the Wild jump the Avs for third place in the West Division.
The Wild are next in action Saturday when they host Los Angeles.