Colorado defensemen Mason Geertsen and Ryan Graves were the only two Avs that were playing in their second exhibition contest of the campaign, while forwards Igor Shvyrev and Martin Kaut each skated in their first-ever NHL preseason game.
The Wild lineup featured many veteran players that are expected to play when the team visits Pepsi Center on Oct. 4 in the regular-season opener for both clubs.
Jason Zucker opened the scoring at 8:32 of the first period and Matt Read made it a 2-0 game 3:18 into the middle frame for Minnesota. Charlie Coyle scored three goals for a hat trick and Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise each finished the contest with one goal and one assist.
The Wild outshot Colorado by a 33-16 margin and goaltender Alex Stalock stopped all 16 shots he faced.
The Avalanche plays four more exhibition games before the 2018-19 season officially begins. Colorado visits the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday and hosts the Dallas Stars and Wild on Wednesday and Friday, respectively. The team wraps up the preseason at Dallas next Sunday, Sept. 30.
