The Colorado Avalanche got back to work on Monday night with a big intra-division game against first-place Minnesota, but the Wild have an early 1-0 lead thanks to a power play goal by Pierre-Marc Bouchard. It was Bouchard's seventh goal of the season. But given the amount of time the Avs spent down a man, it could have been worse.
Bouchard's goal came after Colorado winger Cody McLeod was assessed a five minute major and given a game misconduct for a hit from behind on Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon. Colorado also committed a couple of minor penalties in the period.
Despite that, though, the game has been relatively even from a statistical standpoint: the Wild hold an 8-7 edge in shots on goal and a 9-8 edge in the faceoff circle. Colorado out-hit Minnesota 5-4.
For score updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Denver. For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Wild blog Hockey Wilderness. And for more news and notes from around the NHL, head over to SB Nation's NHL news hub.