Wild 2 - 3 Avalanche
Final - 2OT
  for this game

Avs beat Wild in shootout for home-and-home sweep

Dec 1, 2013 - 5:56 AM Denver, CO (SportsNetwork.com) - Ryan O'Reilly beat Josh Harding through the legs in the shootout and Semyon Varlamov sealed the Colorado Avalanche's 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday with a snappy glove save at the other end.

In the second game of a home-and-home, the Avalanche bounced back after giving up two goals in the last 3:27 of the third period, including Mikko Koivu's tying goal with 5.7 seconds left.

The Avalanche won the opener 3-1 in St. Paul on Friday.

Koivu was one of three Minnesota skaters to be denied by Varlamov in the Avs' first shootout of the season. Varlamov's glove save on Jason Pominville came after O'Reilly scored the shootout's only goal in the third round.

"Some nights you just face a hot goaltender," said Koivu. "We got that tonight."

Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon scored in regulation for Colorado, which has won five of six. Varlamov had 35 saves in his last game before he appears in court Monday on a misdemeanor assault charge.

Three of the Avs' last five games have gone past regulation. They have won all three.

"We have to do a better job of winning these games in regulation but at least we got the two points," said MacKinnon. "It was a good couple of games."

Matt Cooke also scored for the Wild, who have lost four in a row and five of their last seven. Harding had 23 saves.

Minnesota was 12-2-2 in its previous 16 games at Pepsi Center but fell behind early when Landeskog flicked a backhand past Harding from the low left side 2:22 into the game.

MacKinnon scored after a Wild turnover 12:56 into the second period to make it 2-0.

Cooke's goal, on a wrister from the slot, came on Minnesota's 30th shot of the game and with 3:27 remaining and Koivu's tying goal made it through traffic from the high slot.

Game Notes

There were no penalties in the game. It was the first game in Wild history that neither team was called for a penalty ... Colorado center Paul Stastny played just under 20 minutes in his return from a two-game absence because of back spasms ... The Wild are at home against Philadelphia on Monday ... The Avalanche are off until next Thursday when they start a three-game road trip in Edmonton.






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