Postgame Hat Trick: Avalanche 3, Wild 2

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 3-2 loss against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Sunday night:

1. Minnesota's three-game winning streak came to an end.
In a well-contested game on both sides, all five goals of consequence came during a 17-minute stretch of the second period.
Unfortunately for Minnesota, Colorado scored three of those goals, including one shorthanded marker and one on the power play.
A victory would have moved the Wild to within one point of a playoff spot, but despite a late push, it couldn't find a way to even the score.
Minnesota has three games remaining on its current homestand to try and right the ship, beginning Tuesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.
2. Kevin Fiala was doing Kevin Fiala things.
The winger scored a beauty of a goal late in the second period to get Minnesota within one heading to the third. With the Wild on a power play, Fiala gained control of the puck near the top of the right circle, slithered through some light traffic to the slot and rifled a shot short side by Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz.
It was the kind of play that pulls fans out of the seats, and not just because they were celebrating a goal. It was the kind of play that elicited a few ooohs and ahhhs before he even fired his shot.

Fiala has been red-hot of late, registering multiple points in three of his past four games. The goal was his fifth power-play marker of the season, which is a new career high.
Still just 22 years old, the only thing missing from Fiala's game is consistency. If he can find that, the Wild has a potential young star on its hands.
3. The power play has gotten going in a big way.
Each of the Wild's first two goals came with the extra attacker, and since Jan. 14, Minnesota has more power-play goals than any team in the NHL (12).

During that stretch, the Wild's power play has connected at a 41.4 percent clip, which has propelled it back into the top-10 in the League.