Kurtis MacDermid scores game-winner as Avalanche tame Wild

Kurtis MacDermid's first goal of the season came early in the third period and proved to be the game-winner as the Colorado Avalanche knocked off the Minnesota Wild 3-2 on Friday night in Saint Paul, Minn.

Ross Colton and Valeri Nichushkin also scored goals and Alexandar Georgiev had 19 saves for Colorado, which won for the fifth time in six games. The Avalanche joined Winnipeg and Dallas at the top of the Central with 26 points.

Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and an assist and Joel Eriksson Ek also scored for Minnesota, which lost its sixth straight game. Filip Gustavsson made 22 saves.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead at the 17:43 mark when Colton snapped a shot from the top of the left circle that caromed in off the far post and into the net for his seventh goal of the season.

Nichushkin made it 2-0 midway through the second period with a power-play goal when he redirected Nathan MacKinnon's one-timer from the left point past Gustavsson's blocker side. It extended Nichushkin's goal streak to six straight games.

Minnesota, which at one point went 21 minutes without a shot on goal, cut it to 2-1 when Kaprizov tapped in a rebound of a Marco Rossi shot from the right doorstep.

A little over five minutes later, Eriksson Ek, who lost a pair of teeth earlier in the second period on a high-sticking penalty by Colton, tied it with a power-play goal. Mats Zuccarello set the score up with a pass from below the right goal line to Eriksson Ek in front of the crease. Eriksson Ek then redirected the pass into the upper left corner of the net for his ninth goal of the season.

MacDermid put the Avalanche back in front 3-2 at the 4:56 mark of the third period when he took an Andrew Cogliano feed while skating down the slot and deked Gustavsson before putting in a backhand shot inside the right post for his 10th career goal.