If the Minnesota Wild want a strong finish to the regular season, they need to find a way to have a strong finish near the net.
That’s the message from Wild veteran forward Marcus Foligno. He and his teammates will try to snap a two-game skid when they take on the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night in Saint Paul, Minn.
“We’ve just got to put the puck in the back of the net,” Foligno said. “(Our) work ethic is there, and chances are there. We’ve just got to do a better job of putting it in.”
Minnesota hopes to shake off a cold streak at the most important time of the regular season. The Wild have lost five of their past seven games and are coming off a 3-1 defeat at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.
Three times in their last four games, the Wild have scored only one goal.
“This is the crucial time of year,” Foligno said. “We’re getting down to where there’s 18 games left, and we need some wins fast. You don’t want this thing getting out of hand. …
“I’d be lying to you if (I said) we’re not thinking about it. We know we need some wins here to separate ourselves. So we’ve just got to think about defensive hockey if we’re fighting to score right now.”
The Wild hope to take advantage of a weary Avalanche team that is coming off a 3-0 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night. Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas and Joel Kiviranta each scored for the Avalanche before they boarded a late-night flight for Minnesota.
Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon will return to the ice for a quick turnaround after making history on Monday. He notched his 1,000th career point, becoming the 100th player in NHL history to achieve the milestone.
“It’s cool,” he said. “It’s fun to accomplish something with friends and teammates.”
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said he wasn’t surprised that MacKinnon downplayed the milestone.
“I think when it’s all said and done for him, he’ll remember these milestones and appreciate it more than he does now because (right now) he’s so focused by the moment,” Bednar said. “It’s not a big deal to him now, but when it’s all done and he gets a little older and starts looking back on his career, and other people look back on his career, they’re going to be big moments.”
Mackenzie Blackwood likely will start in net for Colorado one night after Scott Wedgewood posted a shutout against Chicago. Blackwood is 18-7-2 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage in 27 games for the Avalanche this season.
The Wild likely will counter with Filip Gustavsson in net. He is 24-14-3 with a 2.60 GAA and a .914 save percentage for the season.
Matt Boldy is the Wild’s leading scorer with 54 points (21 goals, 33 assists) in 64 games.
MacKinnon leads Colorado with a league-high 102 points (27 goals, 75 assists) in 65 games. Cale Makar also is averaging more than a point per game with 75 points (24, 51) in 65 contests.
–Field Level Media
