Avalanche face critical matchup with Wild

The Colorado Avalanche missed an opportunity when Minnesota came to town six weeks ago, and they know they can't waste another chance to track down the Wild in the Central Division standings.

Colorado is currently fourth in the division and holds the top Western Conference wild-card slot entering a Friday night home showdown with third-place Minnesota.

The Wild are coming off a 6-1 loss at Utah on Thursday night, their second setback in a row, but they still have a two-point lead over the Avalanche and have played one game fewer.

They have been outscored 9-1 since taking a 2-0 lead in the first period against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

However, Minnesota's health has become an issue. Kirill Kaprizov remains out with a lower-body injury, and now Joel Eriksson Ek landed on injured reserve earlier this week due to a lower-body injury.

Despite his extended absence, Kaprizov is tied for the team lead with 52 points and tops the club with 23 goals. Matt Boldy also has 52 points (21 goals, 31 assists), Marco Rossi has 50 points (21 goals, 29 assists) and Mats Zuccarello is fourth on Minnesota with 36 points (12 goals, 24 assists).

Boldy had an assist in the Thursday loss and is one of the Wild's stars despite being just 23. The 2019 first-round pick played for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this month and finished with a goal and two assists in four games.

"He's hard not to appreciate. As a guy who's on this team, I think he lacks a little appreciation around the league, just how skilled he is, how big he is, how impressive he protects the puck," said teammate Brock Faber, who also played for Team USA. "He's going to be one of the best in the world, and he showed that. It's a huge privilege to call him a teammate."

Boldy will be a focus of Colorado, which is coming off a 5-1 home win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. It was the first game in nearly two months for forward Valeri Nichushkin, who had been out with a lower-body injury.

"Such a difference-maker," said teammate Nathan MacKinnon, who had two goals and an assist against the Devils to regain the NHL's point-scoring lead. "We're tough to beat when he's in the lineup. We're just a completely different team. He helps the second line a lot. He pushes the pace. He's a beast."

Nichushkin has 11 goals and six assists in 22 games but was held without a point in his return to action. MacKinnon continues to set the pace for the Avalanche with 90 points (23 goals, 67 assists). Cale Makar is second on the team in scoring with 66 points (22 goals, 44 assists), and Artturi Lehkonen has 24 goals and 11 assists.

With Nichushkin back, Colorado is fully healthy among its top six forwards. The Avalanche are thinner on defense, with Josh Manson out due to a lower-body injury. Manson was hurt Feb. 4 at Vancouver and has missed the past five games.

--Field Level Media