Postgame Hat Trick: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 3-2 shootout win against the Colorado Avalanche at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul on Friday afternoon:

1. Nino Niederreiter tied a franchise record by scoring at least one goal in his sixth consecutive game.
With the Wild trailing early in the second period and on its second power play, Niederreiter camped out near the right face-off dot, collecting a pretty cross-rink feed from Mikko Koivu and ripping a one-timer inside the right post for his ninth of the season.

Niederreiter's streak ties Brian Rolston's team record set nearly a decade ago, when he scored in six straight from Jan. 21-Feb. 5, 2008.
"It's nice to have, but at the same time, I've got great support from great players and they're making great passes to set me up," Niederreiter said. "I'm lucky to be that guy right now."
Mikael Granlund earned the second assist on the goal, bumping his point streak to six games. During that stretch, Granlund has four goals and six assists. November has been good to Granlund, who now has five goals and nine assists in 12 games this month.

"It wasn't our best game, but we found a way," Niederreiter said. "It's good to see what they bring to the table. It was a tough game for us but we found a way. They played hard and we're lucky to [get a win] out of this."
2. Before Niederreiter and Granlund were hot, it was Jason Zucker who took his turn driving the bus. He got the Wild on the board just over a minute into the game.
Zucker has a knack for getting goals early in periods and did so again on Friday, firing a shot past Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier from the slot at 1:13 of the contest.

The goal, his team-leading 12th, was his first since Nov. 16, the final game of his own five-game goal-scoring streak. Zucker now has nine goals and two assists over his past 10 games and is a plus-4 during that stretch.
Eric Staal had the set-up feed from behind the net and has now assisted on goals in three straight games. He has at least one point in five of six overall, posting two goals and six assists in that span.
Colorado answered with a pair of goals later in the period to spoil Minnesota's hot start, leading by a 2-1 margin after 20 minutes.
But Niederreiter's goal pulled the Wild even five minutes into the second, and Bernier and Wild goaltender Alex Stalock dueled from there.

"Every game we've played I think this year has been a nail-biter. I don't think there's been one way that we've been blown out or one way that we've blown another team out. So I guess that's what we have," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "So if we're not competing, we're going to struggle. The more we compete, we're in every game."
3. Stalock delivered another gem, helping the Wild steal two points against its division rival.
Several players admitted afterward that Minnesota didn't play its best game, but the team got two points anyway, thanks in large part to the efforts of Stalock.
Making his fifth start of the season (sixth appearance overall), Stalock stopped 28 of 30 shots -- including several of the "10-bell" variety, as Boudreau likes to call them.

Several of Stalock's biggest stops came with the Wild and Avs tied in the third period, including back-to-back saves on Mikko Rantanen from in tight and shutting down a breakaway by J.T. Compher.

"After the first period, it was like he got mad at himself or whatever and said, 'That's it. Nothing else is getting in,'" Boudreau said. "That's how he played in Washington. He just stood his ground, and he did a great job."
Colorado scored on a Compher breakaway and then a 2-on-1 rush where Stalock was beaten short side by Blake Comeau.
Comeau's goal came at the 15:54 mark of period one, and Stalock closed the door after that.
"As a goalie that makes it to the NHL, you've given up a lot of goals in your life along the way. You just have to say that's another one and turn the page," Stalock said. "We came in here down 2-1 and kind of settled things down and turned the page for me and made the saves I needed to make."

Loose Pucks

• Mike Reilly also had an assist for Minnesota.
• The Wild has captured at least one point in seven of its past eight games and is 6-1-1 in its past eight overall.
• Tyson Barrie, Carl Soderberg and Gabriel Landeskog each finished with one assist for Colorado.
• Bernier finished with 25 saves, including six in overtime.
• Charlie Coyle and Chris Stewart scored in the shootout for the Wild.
• Stalock stopped Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen on shootout attempts.
• Attendance: 19,084

He Said It

"He played unbelievable tonight. He stood on his head, especially in the second where I think we were on the ropes there a little bit. He made some big saves. It's great that he gives us a chance to win and we wanted to get that win for him tonight." -- Wild forward Chris Stewart on goaltender Alex Stalock

They Said It

"It's a tough building, they have a good team, and it was a 2-2 game going into the third so we just try to manage to stay composed, make the right play and not give them too much. Unfortunately we gave them one extra point." -- Avalanche goaltender Jonathan Bernier

Three Stars

* Alex Stalock
\\ Charlie Coyle
\\* Nino Niederreiter