Colorado Avalanche left wing Jonathan Drouin celebrates a goal against Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson during the second period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, April 4, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. ST. PAUL, Minn. — A couple of guys with Minnesota ties were making their first appearance at Xcel Energy Center in a Colorado Avalanche uniform. One State of Hockey great might have been making his last.
MacKinnon’s goal 6:32 into the third period gave the Avalanche some much-needed breathing room after the home side had been pushing for an equalizer. Cale Makar checked the puck away from Minnesota’s Joel Eriksson Ek in the high slot, and then MacKinnon and Drouin went to work. He added No. 17 just 43 seconds into the second period. Rantanen made a great play to get the play started in the offensive zone, and eventually Drouin tipped a blast from the top of the zone by MacKinnon past Gustavsson to give the Avs a 3-1 lead.
Matt Boldy pressured Annunen behind the net and the puck squirted out in front of an empty cage. Marcus Johansson had the angle to get to it, but Drouin lifted his stick instead of lunging for the puck and erased the danger. This game was the first one back for former Wild glue guy Brandon Duhaime. It might have been the final one at The X for Zach Parise, a Minneapolis native who also played nine seasons for the Wild.And the best ramen shop in Denver is...