The Minnesota Wild got back in action in Colorado to begin the 2nd half. How would they do against the big, bad Colorado Avalanche?
The #MNWild got back on the ice tonight in Colorado after the Xmas break and they were ready to go. They scored twice in the first 10 minutes on goals by D Carson Soucy & F Eric Staal to put the Minnesota Wild up 2-0 but the Avalanche scored 2 goals in 46 seconds in the final 2 minutes of the first to ruin their period and make that 2-goal lead disappear.
The Wild took the lead again about halfway through the 2nd on D Brad Hunt’s 5th goal of the season when he took a shot from the left point that went in largely because Colorado G Pavel Francouz had a Green Screen in front of him so he couldn’t see a thing (F Jordan Greenway took his vision away.)
The Avalanche then did the same thing they did in the first period. They scored a goal in the last minute to once again tie the game. This goal came off the foot of F Nathan MacKinnon and, though some fans thought it was a kicking motion, it appeared to us to be redirected by MacKinnon’s skate so Bruce Boudreau didn’t challenge since redirections are legal in today’s NHL. Don’t ask us why that is, though. We don’t understand how any goal should count if it is intentionally kicked or redirected into the net off a player’s foot. What do you think, ‘Puckers?
So…the 3rd period began with the game tied at 3 which the Wild would probably take most of the time, especially on the road. They still had a chance to win and they’d already played a very good game.
1:33 into said 3rd period, the Avalanche took their first lead of the game off F Matt Calvert’s 2nd goal of the game on a tipped shot in front of the net which was also how he scored his 1st goal of the game.
The Wild responded and ended up tying the game at 4 when F Mats Zuccarello got a rebound off D Jonas Brodin’s shot from the right point and kicked the puck up to his stick then shot it into the empty net.
Then, just 77 seconds later, Wild F Victor Rask intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and skated up the left side and as he got to the faceoff dot, he unleashed a laser of a wrist shot that went far side over Francouz’s left pad and the bell (post) rang to announce the Wild had retaken the lead at 5-4.
The Avalanche made a strong push to tie the game but a faceoff in the Wild’s defensive half & right side of the neutral zone was won by F Joel Eriksson Ek back to D Ryan Suter and he took a chance by shooting at the empty net and scored to put the Wild up 6-4 and that is how it would end.
What a comeback by the Minnesota Wild, huh?
Joel Eriksson Ek actually scored a goal off a ripper of a shot but it was challenged as being offside and disallowed because of it.
The keys to the Wild’s game was their forecheck their quickness to defend and their poise to keep playing no matter what happened. They didn’t get deflated when the Avs tied the game once, twice and when they took the lead. They responded and fought back and that is becoming what they are known for, their Resilience!!!
Goals: Soucy (5), Staal (15), Hunt (7), Zuccarello (10), Rask (4) (GWG) & Suter (5)(ENG)
Assists: Greenway (11), Fiala (14); Fiala (15), Parise (9); Dumba (8), Kunin (7); Brodin (16), Parise (10): Ek (11) in the same order as the goals above.
Next up is the New York Islanders at #TheX on Sunday at 5pm on Fox Sports North!
