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DENVER, Colo. -- The Minnesota Wild heads to Denver today to challenge the Avalanche, hoping to end this two-game road trip on a Mile High after losing 6-2 in Nashville on Saturday night.

Info for Tonight's Game:

Wild Record: 27-15-4, 58 points, 3rd in Central Division

Avalanche Record: 28-18-1, 57 points, 4th in Central Division

2024-25 Series Record: 0-1-0

All-Time Wild Record: 59-54-13 (26-28-8 at Colorado)

Stats Comparison

Team Stats
NSH
MIN
Power Play
19.8%
19.5%
Penalty Kill
83.1%
70.9%
Faceoff
51.5%
48.3%
Goals For / Games Played
2.45
2.96
Goals Against / Games Played
3.11
2.78

Last Time Out

The Wild fell 6-2 to the Predators in Nashville on Saturday night. D David Jiricek scored the opening goal for Minnesota, assisted by LW Matt Boldy and C Marco Rossi. Nashville answered with four goals through the rest of the first and second periods. Two minutes into the third, Boldy netted a snapshot to bring the score to 4-2. Boldy was assisted by RW Mats Zuccarello. The Predators cemented their blowout victory with two more goals, the last of which was an empty-net goal.

The Avalanche squashed Dallas on Saturday night, defeating the Stars 6-3. The Stars opened the scoring but C Casey Mittelstadt answered the call and scored the first goal for the Avs to tie the game. Mittelstadt was assisted by LW Artturi Lehkonen. D Cale Makar netted the next goal, assisted by C Nathan MacKinnon and RW Mikko Rantenen. Lehkonen scored less than 90 seconds later, assisted by LW Jonathan Drouin. Drouin scored yet another Avalanche goal to close out the period, assisted by Lehkonen and D Josh Manson. Lekonen scored once more, assisted by Mittelstadt and Manson, to bring the score to 5-1. Stars' LW Jason Robertson netted two consecutive goals, but the final blow came from Makar as he scored his second of the night, assisted by Drouin and Mittelstadt.

This Season on Wild vs. Avalanche

Colorado won the series-opening game, 6-1, at Xcel Energy Center (1/9).

D Zach Bogosian scored Minnesota’s lone goal, assisted by C Freddy Gaudreau and F Yakov Trenin. G Filip Gustavsson stopped 21-of-27 shots faced for the Wild.

Drouin (0-2=2), MacKinnon (1- 1=2), Manson (0-2=2), RW Logan O’Connor (1-1=2) and RW Mikko Rantanen (1-1=2) each posted two points for the Avalanche. G Mackenzie Blackwood saved 24-of-25 shots faced to earn the win for Colorado.

Wild Leaders Against Avs

  • Zuccarello leads Minnesota with 30 points (5- 25=30) in 31 career matches against Colorado
  • LW Kirill Kaprizov (12- 8=20, in 18 games) and D Jared Spurgeon (5-15=20, in 59 games) each have 20 points
  • C Ryan Hartman owns 17 points (9-8=17) in 36 contests

Avalanche Leaders Against Wild

  • MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 61 points (22- 39=61) in 47 career games against Minnesota
  • Rantanen owns 39 points (16-23=39) in 35 contests
  • Makar has 21 points (5-16=21) in 22 games
  • D Samuel Girard owns 17 points (1-16=17) in 29 contests

Recent Transactions

1/17/25

Recalled F Devin Shore from Iowa

1/16/25

Activated F Jakub Lauko from Injured Reserve

Reassigned F Ben Jones and F Devin Shore to Iowa

Recalled F Brendan Gaunce and F Liam Ohgren from Iowa

Placed F Kirill Kaprizov on Long-Term Injured Reserve

Placed F Marcus Johansson on Injured Reserve

1/9/25

Recalled F Devin Shore from Iowa

1/8/25

Reassigned F Devin Shore to Iowa and recalled D David Jiricek from Iowa

Placed F Jakub Lauko on Long-Term Injured Reserve retroactive to Dec. 14

1/7/25

Signed G Dylan Ferguson to a one-year, two-way contract

Activated D Jake Middleton from Long-Term Injured Reserv

Reassigned F Travis Boyd, F Brendan Gaunce and D Carson Lambos to Iowa

1/6/25

Recalled F Travis Boyd (emergency), F Brendan Gaunce (emergency) and D Carson Lambos (regular) from Iowa

1/1/25

Recalled F Brendan Gaunce and D Carson Lambos from Iowa

Placed F Kirill Kaprizov on Injured Reserve 

To view recent transactions, visit wild.com/transactions.

On the Mend

Jonas Brodin: lower-body injury (five games missed)

Filip Gustavsson: illness (one game missed)

Marcus Johansson: concussion (one game missed)

Kirill Kaprizov: lower-body injury (11 games missed)

Jared Spurgeon: lower-body injury (eight games missed)

Connections

  • Trenin recorded three points (2-1=3) in 16 games with the Avalanche last season
  • Mittelstadt is from Eden Prairie and recorded 30 points (11-19=30) in 34 games as a freshman at the University of Minnesota
  • D Sam Malinski is from Lakeville
  • Colorado D Keaton Middleton is the younger brother of Wild D Jake Middleton

Fast Facts

  • Minnesota has 59 wins and 131 points against Colorado all-time, second-most against any franchise
  • Minnesota defeated Colorado in seven games in the 2003 First Round and the 2014 First Round
  • The Avalanche won the 2008 First Round series in six games

For more information on today's matchup, check out the game notes below.