Wild thwarted by Annunen, plus a return and a prank: Key takeaways vs. Avalanche

By / / Sports / 4 minutes of reading



ST. PAUL, Minn. — Vinni Lettieri and Declan Chisholm scored for the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night, but despite a plethora of high-danger chances and heavy pressure to climb back from a two-goal deficit, the Wild were done in by backup goalie Justus Annunen during a 5-2 Colorado Avalanche victory at Xcel Energy Center. Twenty-two of Annunen’s 44 saves came against Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy, Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov.

Jonathan Drouin scored two goals, Nathan MacKinnon turned a one-goal third-period lead into a two-goal lead, and Artturi Lehkonen also scored for Colorado.

  • The Wild have won eight of 27 games against the nine teams ahead of them in the Western Conference standings. They have lost nine of their past 10.
  • Chisholm’s goal snapped a 20-game goal drought since his Wild debut Feb. 17.
  • Zuccarello had five shots on goal but his goal drought reached 17 games.
  • The Wild, 2-1-2 (five points, as opposed to six, due to forfeiting point in overtime vs. Vegas) on their six-game homestand, host Winnipeg on Saturday in their second-to-last home game this season.

Gustavsson rusty early

Filip Gustavsson had been solid of late, entering Thursday’s game with a 3-1-1 record in his previous six appearances with a 1.42 goals-against average and .947 save percentage. But boy, oh boy, he was fighting the puck in the first period. The Avs were sending blinding shots in his direction, and 18 in all in the first 20 minutes, but he was late reacting to everything and couldn’t catch anything with his glove. On the first goal, he was unable to catch a puck and then served it up on a platter for Lehkonen. The second goal by Drouin was also downright awkward. There was nothing he could do on Drouin’s winner on a sick redirection to start the second period.

Goligoski returns to the lineup

Alex Goligoski had to be wondering if he’d ever play another game. At age 38 and possibly retiring this offseason, the veteran defenseman had been sidelined for 24 consecutive games as a healthy scratch, having not played since Feb. 7. But with Zach Bogosian sidelined after taking a shot to the stomach defending a five-on-six late in Tuesday’s win against Ottawa, Goligoski drew into the lineup even though coach John Hynes said Thursday morning that Dakota Mermis would dress if Bogosian couldn’t play. Despite facing a high-octane Avs lineup that was shooting from everywhere, Goligoski didn’t look rusty despite being sheltered a bit and seeing limited shifts (13 in the game). He finished plus-1, being on the ice for Lettieri’s first-period tying goal.

Duhaime returns, reignites Flower prank war

Brandon Duhaime will never learn. After picking a fight with prank master Marc-Andre Fleury earlier this season with the Wild, Duhaime wound up having his clothes stolen, his shoes nailed to the floor and multiple other sources of payback levied upon him from the future Hall of Famer until he was traded last month to the Avs. Duhaime’s first game with the Avs was against the Wild, and Duhaime said Fleury got him in Denver when he snuck into the locker room and “messed with my shoes.”

Duhaime, who had a couple of dinners at Billy Sushi the past few nights with ex-teammates, made his first return to Minnesota on Thursday, got to the arena soon after Fleury had arrived in the morning and wrapped Fleury’s car in toilet paper. The Wild’s video crew captured it all, including the hilarious reactions of his former Wild teammates. Duhaime tried to play it off as Mason Shaw getting Fleury back for a practical joke played against him after Monday’s practice, but it indeed was Duhaime. And what Duhaime may have forgotten is, Fleury and the Wild have another trip to Colorado next week, so word to the wise: he should watch his back.

Three stars

1. Jonathan Drouin, Avalanche: His resurgent season continued with two goals on five shots and one assist.
2. Justus Annunen, Avalanche: Getting another start in place of Alexandar Georgiev, the backup made 44 saves, including 17 of 18 in the second period and 16 in a row in the third.
3. Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche: The Hart Trophy frontrunner doesn’t just score at home. He scored a goal on five shots and two assists.

(Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn / NHLI via Getty Images)





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About The Author

Avatar of Eleanor Larson
Eleanor Larson is a writer for Kochify The News. She writes about politics, health, business, and finance. She has been a writer for over 25 years and is currently working on her second book.

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