We're two periods through Thursday night's game between the Colorado Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild, but the fans at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul still haven't been treated to a goal yet. The Avalanche are in desperate need of a victory, as they've lost eight of their past ten games.

The Avalanche were able to hold a significant shots-on-goal advantage in the second period, out-shooting the Wild 13-5, but they were unable to get the puck past Minnesota goalie Niklas Backstrom. Backstrom is now 19-for-19 on saves so far as he eyes his second shutout of the season.

Minnesota mustered only five shots against Colorado in the second period, with Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere getting his hands on all five. He's a perfect 13-for-13 on saves and is looking for the first shutout of his season.

For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more in-depth coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Wild blog Hockey Wilderness. For more from around the league, visit SB Nation's NHL news hub.