The Colorado Avalanche picked a great weekend to figure things out in the shootout.
Nathan MacKinnon and Valeri Nichushkin scored in the one-on-one competition Sunday afternoon, and the Avs knocked off the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, at Ball Arena. They also beat the Dallas Stars in a shootout Friday night, securing a huge four points to put the Central Division title in clear view.
Nazem Kadri had an assist in his return to the Avs after being acquired Friday afternoon in a trade with the Calgary Flames. Scott Wedgewood made 34 saves.
Two of the other new guys teamed up to help the Avs get even at 2-2. Nicolas Roy tipped a Brett Kulak shot from the left point past Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt at 12:39 of the third period. It was Roy’s first goal with the Avs after being acquired Thursday in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Colorado entered the day 33-0-0 when leading after two periods.
While the Avs have been historically great for much of this season at even strength, NHL games can be won and lost on special teams. Minnesota rallied from a 1-0 deficit in the first half of the third period with a pair of special-teams tallies.
Kirill Kaprizov scored four seconds into a Wild power play after Ross Colton went to the penalty box for slashing. It didn’t look like he was shooting for the net, but the puck went off Brent Burns’ stick and just inside the far post at 4:17 of the third.
Then, with the Avs on the power play, old friend Nico Sturm got behind everyone and scored shorthanded at 7:01. That is Colorado’s 11th shorthanded goal against this season, which leads the NHL.
The Avs went 0-for-5 with the man advantage in this contest and yielded a shorthanded goal. That’s a bad day at the office, even though Colorado’s first unit did create far more chances than it has on other scoreless days this season.
MacKinnon had the lone goal of the opening two periods. Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes tried to leave the puck for a teammate, but Kadri jumped the drop pass and then sent it to MacKinnon cutting to the net.
MacKinnon scored his 43rd of the season at 12:19 of the second, and immediately pointed across the to ice to Kadri.
Nazem Kadri (91) of the Colorado Avalanche stands for the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)The Ball Arena crowd gave Kadri several loud ovations — during warmups, when he was introduced in the starting lineup and after a welcome back video during the first television timeout. He got another one after setting up MacKinnon’s goal.
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His run culminated with the club’s third Stanley Cup championship in 2022. Kadri signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Calgary Flames a few weeks after lifting the Cup with the Avs, then returned Friday afternoon in a trade completed just before the deadline.
FOOTNOTE: Avs captain Gabe Landeskog missed the game is “week-to-week” with a lower-body injury. Landeskog got hit in the groin area with a Cale Makar shot during the second period Friday night, but finished the game and played nearly 23 minutes in the 5-4 shootout win. He took nine shifts in the third period.
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