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Gaborik helps Wild top Avalanche, continue road success

Feb 2, 2007 - 7:09 AM DENVER (Ticker) -- Marian Gaborik and the Minnesota Wild are getting comfortable away from home.

Gaborik scored two goals and Pierre-Marc Bouchard added a tally and an assist as the Wild continued their success on the road with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

Mikko Koivu also tallied twice for Minnesota, which won for the sixth time in its last seven road games and finished its five-game road trip at 3-1-1.

"We're getting timely goals from our power play, and our goaltending has been outstanding," Wild center Wes Walz said. "To win on the road, you have to have both of those things. You can't have one of the two, you need both of them going, and that's why we've had success the last seven or eight games."

Minnesota had struggled away from home, winning only four road contests this season before their surprising run. Overall, the Wild posted a 7-4-2 mark in January and carried its stellar play into Thursday's contest.

"Honestly, I haven't even looked at the standings the last two weeks," Walz said. "I know where we're going to be. It's going to be a dogfight right to the end of the season. We just have to win every game we possibly can and put these points in the bank right now. We'll see where we're at in the end."

With the game tied at 3-3 late in the third period, Gaborik came through with his 13th goal of the season. Left alone near the right faceoff circle, the Slovakian fired a wrist shot past goaltender Peter Budaj with 4:34 remaining, capping his fourth two-goal effort of the season.

"It was a great play by (defenseman Kim Johnsson)," Gaborik said. "He took his forward with him, and no one was coming at me. So I just tried to get a quick, hard shot and it went in."

Budaj knew what was coming but still was unable to stop the shot.

"I knew he was going to shoot, but unfortunately, it squeezed in," Budaj said. "I would like to have that one back."

Gaborik, who missed 34 games earlier this campaign with a groin injury, also snapped a 2-2 tie with 5 1/2 minutes left in the second session.

Bouchard had the most spectacular goal of the game, turning the puck over in front of the net but recovering to swat it out of the air and over Budaj's left shoulder to make it 2-1 just over 3 1/2 minutes into the second.

Niklas Backstrom made 30 saves for the Wild, who have won three of their last four contests.

Milan Hejduk recorded two assists for Colorado, which has lost three of its last four.

"It's a tough loss for us because I think we played pretty well," Budaj said. "We need some help because they're ahead of us. We have to come back and be strong on Saturday (against Edmonton). Every point is huge. It doesn't matter. You don't prepare differently for Minnesota vs. a team like Nashville. We prepare the same way."