The Colorado Avalanche were unable to score at home in a 1-0 defeat against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. It's the first time that the Avalanche have been shut out in the Pepsi Center since losing 3-0 to the Vancouver Canucks on Nov. 23, 2011.
Not too far into the game, the Wild took the early lead on Greg Zanon's second goal of the season. Assisted by Dany Heatley and Kyle Brodziak, Zanon's goal was the only one that would end up being scored all night long.
Minnesota goaltender Nicklas Backstrom was fantastic, saving all 37 shots that came his way for his third shutout of the season. Colorado's Jean-Sebastian Giguere also played well, saving 20 of 21 shots.
The Avalanche have lost four consecutive games now, dropping their current record to 26-25-2. Minnesota has now beaten Colorado twice recently, with its overall record at 25-19-7 this season.
For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Wild blog Hockey Wilderness.