(SportsNetwork.com) – The playoff-hopeful Minnesota Wild look to shut out the
Colorado Avalanche for the fourth time in as many meetings this season as the
two clubs square off on Saturday night at Pepsi Center.
The Wild began the season by sweeping a home-and-home set with the Avalanche
by an 8-0 margin and the clubs didn’t face off again until Feb. 7. The result
didn’t change, however, with Devan Dubnyk posting an 18-save shutout for a 1-0
win.
Darcy Kuemper had been between the pipes for the two earlier shutouts, but
Dubnyk made Charlie Coyle’s first-period tally stand up in Minnesota earlier
this month.
Dubnyk improved to 9-5-1 lifetime in 16 games versus the Avalanche with a 2.09
goals against average, .936 save percentage and two shutouts.
Minnesota, which has won 11 of its past 15 in Colorado, is 14-3-2 since
acquiring Dubnyk in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, with the latest win
coming on Thursday in a 4-2 decision over the Nashville Predators. Dubnyk made
27 saves.
Nino Niederreiter scored the tie-breaking goal midway through the game and
added an empty-netter with 1:39 remaining, while Erik Haula and Kyle Brodziak
had a goal and an assist each.
“It was an up-and-down game, but I feel we deserved the win,” Wild coach Mike
Yeo said.
The win moved the Wild one point ahead of the Calgary Flames for the second
wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Forward Sean Bergenheim, acquired from the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, made
his debut with the Wild and skated on the top line with Mikko Koivu and Thomas
Vanek.
The Avalanche come in six points back of the Wild in the Western Conference
standings after picking up a 5-4 shootout win over the Dallas Stars on Friday
night. Ryan O’Reilly scored the lone goal of the tiebreaker and Semyon
Varlamov stopped all three skaters he faced.
O’Reilly, Colorado’s first shooter, skated down the right side, cut toward the
slot and lifted a backhander over Kari Lehtonen’s glove. Varlamov denied Jason
Spezza, Jamie Benn and Vernon Fiddler to seal the win after posting 32 saves
through overtime.
Colorado trailed 3-1 early in the third period and 4-3 later in the frame, but
rallied to win for the fifth time in seven games.
“We were certainly not happy after 40 minutes of play,” Colorado head coach
Patrick Roy said. “We played better in the third period. That’s the hockey
that we are capable of.”
Tyson Barrie and Nate Guenin each tallied a goal and two assists, Gabriel
Landeskog supplied a goal and a helper and Jarome Iginla also lit the lamp for
the Avalanche.
