"On Dec. 26, the Avalanche snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a victory over the Wild in St. Paul, Minn. Tuesday night, Minnesota ended a similarly embarrassing stretch in Denver, in a playoff atmosphere at the Pepsi Center.

The Wild beat the somewhat flat Avs 3-2 in a key Northwest Division game that leapfrogged Minnesota over Colorado for the eighth and final Western Conference playoff berth heading into this weekend's NHL all-star break.

The Wild had lost its previous 11 road games, two in shootouts."