Wild Buried By Avalanche Tuesday

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild 5-1 Tuesday night at Xcel Energy Center. The Wild is now 39-24-7 on the season.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead into the locker room at the first intermission. Mikko Koivu's 13th goal of the season tied the game for Minnesota at 13:56 of the second period.

However, the tie would be short-lived, as Nikita Zadorov gave the Avs back the lead less than a minute later. Colorado would score three more goals in the third period to pull away for the win.

The Wild's grip on the third-place slot in the Central Division loosened with the loss. What could have been a seven-point edge over Colorado shrunk to just three points, with the Wild currently sitting at 85 points and the Avs at 82.

Minnesota will try to bounce back Friday night with a game against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas. Puck drop is set for 9:30 p.m. on AM 1240 WJON.