The top three teams in the NHL reside in the Central Division, and two of them face off Sunday when the Minnesota Wild host the Colorado Avalanche in Saint Paul, Minn.
Colorado, with 57 points, is atop the league standings and is riding a four-game winning streak. The only team hotter than the Avalanche is Minnesota, which has won seven in a row after beating Edmonton 5-2 on Saturday.
The Wild’s winning streak started before the blockbuster trade that landed Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. Since acquiring the former Norris Trophy recipient, Minnesota has outscored opponents 21-6 and has at least five goals in all four games and 33-11 overall during the seven-game winning streak.
Hughes has a goal and two assists in his four games and has bolstered an already talented group. The Wild are 19-3-2 in their last 24 games and have 49 points, trailing only division rivals Colorado and Dallas (53 points).
Minnesota’s offensive surge has been sparked by Matt Boldy, the team’s leading scorer with 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists). Boldy had two goals in Saturday’s win and has scored at least one in the last four games.
Kirill Kaprizov is second on the Wild in scoring with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) and Marcus Johansson is third with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists).
The Wild have rolled despite having key players sidelined — seven were out Thursday at Columbus, but the team got a few back for Saturday.
“I think good teams learn how to overcome the obstacles, and one of the things is injuries,” center Vladimir Tarasenko said.
Sunday is the second of four games between the teams this season and the last one in Minnesota. The Wild won the first meeting, 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 28. That snapped the Avalanche’s nine-game winning streak at the time, but they earned a point, which they’ve accomplished in all but two of 33 games this season.
Colorado has one regulation loss since Oct. 25 and has earned a point in 24 of its last 25 games.
The Avalanche are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who is tied with the Edmonton Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid in scoring with 59 points. MacKinnon’s 28 goals lead the NHL and he has added 31 assists, tied with teammate Martin Necas for the most on the team.
Necas, who had a goal in Friday night’s 3-2 home win over Winnipeg, has 15 on the season and is second in scoring for Colorado. Cale Makar (10 goals, 30 assists) it tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Zach Werenski in leading all NHL defensemen with 40 points.
The Avalanche have nine players with 18 or more points and five who have hit double digits in goals.
“We have a deep team and everyone knows that,” Necas said. “Everyone can step in a role, and it’s huge.”
The contributions are coming from all four lines. Parker Kelly, who has thrived as a bottom-six forward, has seven goals in 34 games, one short of his career best accomplished in 80 games in each of the past two seasons.
“I just feel a bit more patient, more poise with the puck, and a little more confident overall,” said Kelly, in his sixth NHL season and second with Colorado.
–Field Level Media
