DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche picked a perfect time to rediscover their shootout touch.

Just two days after edging the Dallas Stars in a shootout, Colorado did it again Sunday against another Central Division rival, defeating the Minnesota Wild in the skills competition as the playoff race continues to tighten. It was their fifth straight win and their second straight in the shootout. 

Nathan MacKinnon and Nicolas Roy scored during regulation, and after 60 minutes the Avalanche and the Wild were tied 2–2. Overtime solved nothing, sending the game to a one-on-one competition. 

Valeri Nichushkin continued his recent shootout success by scoring for the second straight game, but the final dagger belonged to MacKinnon. The Avalanche star ripped a shot over the glove of Minnesota netminder Jesper Wallstedt, who finished with 34 saves in a strong performance.

Scott Wedgewood matched him at the other end, stopping 34 shots of his own in an excellent outing to help secure Colorado’s second consecutive shootout victory.

Nazem Kadri, in his highly-anticipated return to Colorado, finished with an assist. 

Minnesota received goals from Kirill Kaprizov and former Avalanche forward Nico Sturm.

The Avalanche earned a power play just 1:20 into the game after Quinn Hughes cross-checked Nichushkin from behind, sending him crashing into the boards.

Colorado failed to capitalize on the opportunity, and when Minnesota defenseman Zach Bogosian was later penalized for hooking, the Avalanche were unable to convert on their second man advantage as well. As a result, Colorado opened the contest 0-for-2 on the power play.

With under four minutes remaining in the period, MacKinnon carried the puck down the left wing on a breakaway, but Wallstedt denied the attempt. Colorado’s depth players also created chances late in the frame. Sam Malinski fired a point shot that bounced off Wallstedt’s chest protector, and the rebound produced another opportunity, but Joel Kiviranta’s follow-up attempt was also turned aside.

The opening period ended scoreless, with Colorado holding a 14–8 advantage in shots on goal.

The second period began with a penalty when Ryan Hartman was called for high-sticking Nazem Kadri, giving Colorado its third power-play opportunity of the afternoon. The Avalanche were unable to capitalize again, however, and the score remained tied 0–0.

Moments later, Colorado went to the penalty kill after Roy was whistled for high-sticking Bogosian while trying to break free from a hold.

With 7:41 remaining in the period, MacKinnon broke the deadlock with his NHL-leading 43rd goal of the season. Kadri won a battle for a loose puck against two defenders and slid a pass to MacKinnon at the bottom of the right circle, where he fired a precise shot to give Colorado a 1–0 lead.

The Avalanche caught a break with 3:22 left in the period when Bobby Brink, acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers at the trade deadline, deflected a shot that beat Wedgewood but rang off the left post.

With Ross Colton in the box for slashing, the Wild evened the game at one when Kaprizov fired a slap pass toward the crease that deflected off Matt Boldy’s stick and slipped past Wedgewood. The replay clearly showed the puck changing direction off Boldy, but the goal was credited to Kaprizov.

Moments later, the Avalanche earned their fourth power play of the game when Yakov Trenin was also called for slashing.

However, 7:01 into the period, Minnesota grabbed a 2–1 lead when Sturm broke free on a shorthanded breakaway and beat Wedgewood blocker side. The goal marked the 10th shorthanded goal allowed by Colorado this season, the most in the NHL.

Colorado soon received another opportunity on the man advantage when Kaprizov was whistled for slashing, continuing what had become a penalty-filled stretch of the period. The Avalanche desperately needed a conversion to avoid falling to their Central Division rival.

While the power play itself came up empty—dropping Colorado to 0-for-5 on the afternoon—the Avalanche still managed to pull even shortly after. Roy deflected a point shot from Brett Kulak past Wallstedt to tie the game at two. The sequence again highlighted Colorado’s trade-deadline additions, as Kadri, Kulak, and Roy all played a role in the Avalanche’s two goals.

After a scoreless overtime, Colorado sealed the win in the shootout thanks to goals from Nichushkin and MacKinnon. Boldy scored for Minnesota, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Avalanche from claiming the extra point.

The Avalanche (43-10-9) return to action Tuesday night at Ball Arena against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers (30-25-8). Puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. local time.

Captain Gabe Landeskog was a late scratch from the lineup after taking a shot to the groin from Cale Makar during the previous game against Dallas. When asked for clarification on Landeskog’s condition, head coach Jared Bednar smiled and subtly smirked.

"It's a lower body injury... not a comfortable one."