Nathan MacKinnon’s 43rd goal, shootout magic powers Colorado Avalanche past Minnesota Wild in thriller between NHL heavyweights

Star forward Nathan MacKinnon once again proved to be the difference-maker for the Colorado Avalanche Sunday night, scoring his NHL-leading 43rd goal of the season and netting the winning shot in the shootout to propel his team to a thriller of a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild.
While regulation time and overtime were unable to produce a winner, the superstar forward netted the winning shot in the shootout to propel his team to victory. Nathan MacKinnon’s winning shot in the shootout was not the only impressive thing about his night. It was his 70th point in 55 games against the Minnesota Wild, his highest total against an opponent in the NHL.

Colorado Avalanche rally late as Scott Wedgewood shines and Nathan MacKinnon finishes the job

The Colorado Avalanche’s victory was highlighted by a strong performance from goaltender Scott Wedgewood, who saved 32 out of 34 shots in the game. Despite the strong play from the Avalanche’s goalie, the team was down 1-0 entering the third period before the game suddenly changed momentum. The Wild scored two goals in just 2:44 minutes early in the third period.
Minnesota Wild star Kirill Kaprizov scored the Wild’s team-leading 36th goal of the season on the power play, while Sturm scored a short-handed goal to give the Wild a surprising lead.
The Avalanche tied the game with 7:21 left in the game when forward Nicolas Roy tipped a puck into the Wild’s goal to tie the game 2-2.
In the skills competition, both teams succeeded on one of their first three shots. Minnesota forward Vladimir Tarasenko had an opportunity to put the Wild ahead but was denied by Wedgewood, setting the stage for MacKinnon to seal the victory shortly after.
The game was also special for Nazem Kadri, who scored an assist in his first game back with the Colorado Avalanche after being traded from the Calgary Flames on Friday. Kadri was a key contributor to the team’s Stanley Cup championship during the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Colorado was missing its captain, Gabriel Landeskog, who is listed week-to-week with a lower-body injury after being hit by a puck to the groin during Friday’s shootout victory over the Dallas Stars.
Sunday’s matchup was the second meeting in 10 days between the Central Division rivals in Denver. Minnesota won a lopsided 5-2 decision in the last meeting on Feb. 26. But Sunday, it was the Avalanche and MacKinnon who had the last laugh in another barnburner between two of the top contenders for the Stanley Cup.