The Bright Side

We Colorado Avalanche fans had to be feeling pretty damn good. A six game homestand that we swept. Nathan MacKinnon became the first to 100 points this season, and joined the 1000 career point club (in fact, he's the 100th member of that club) on Monday. The Avs moved up to third place in the Central Division thanks to the six game winning streak, and after so much home cooking, it was time to travel for the first time in weeks. The destination: Minnesota.

Prior to the Avs' homestand, we couldn't pass the Wild in the standings. Thankfully, the sweep came as the Wild were falling and fading. Even so, one always wants the Avs to beat the Wild. Avs and Wild have been division rivals for a quarter-century. That's a long damn time. In net, it was Mackenzie Blackwood against Filip Gustavsson, the latter having severe problems against the Avs in his career. The first period was quiet for the most part, no scoring there. It looked like we'd get more of the same in the second fram, but a bad turnover led to a 2-on-0 for Minnesota, and it was Mats Zuccarello who put it in. Avs had some power play chances, but despite the fact that Minnesota's PK is basically useless at home, it was spot on in this game.

Avs trailed 1-0 after 40 minutes, and I was hoping for something for the Good Guys. Wild nearly made it 2-0 many times, but right before regulation reached the final five minutes, Samuel Girard's shot went off Ross Colton and then Joel Kiviranta and in! Kiviranta is on a goal scoring roll, and the game is all knotted up. It would, thankfully, remain such after 60 minutes, resulting in overtime. However, the OT was absolutely awful for the Avs. We didn't touch the puck until the period was half over. Even so, we had some attempts, but the Wild had the puck pretty much for the entire period. Yikes. So the game went to a shootout, and in the SO, Zuccarello and Matt Boldy got the goals, and all we got was the gate.

While I hate losing to the Wild, there are a few bright sides. For one, despite an ugly performance, the Avs made it past 60 minutes. So that's another point in the standings. Also, the six game winning streak is now a seven game points streak. I don't know why, but I love points streaks more than winning streaks. There's something about boasting that your team hasn't lost in regulation in a good bit. Points streaks really help teams climb the ladder. Also another bright side: the Avalanche clinched the season series, going 2-1-1 against the Wild this season. As it stands, the Avalanche are 12 wins away from clinching a playoff spot for the eighth straight year, and are 16 wins away from staying in the Central Division's Top 3.

Next up, the Avs cross the northern border and face the Calgary Flames, the other team holding a Wild Card position in the Western Conference. After that, the Avs return home to face off against the Dallas Stars, and our old friend Mikko Rantanen, on Sunday, and we will cross the border again on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Avs have a good chance to make a dent in the race for second place, which is a home ice spot.

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