Wild Vs. Avalanche NHL Preview: Northwest Division Rivals Battle For Second Place

The Minnesota Wild took advantage of another struggling team in their last outing and got back in the win column with a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars. That win snapped a four-game losing streak and put Minnesota back on track to get back into their division. At one point, the Wild led the entire NHL in points for a good period of time before going on a colossal losing skid that hurt them big time. Now, they're looking to launch a winning streak with a win over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

Colorado has been inconsistent this season, but they haven't been awful for long stretches of time. They were losers in their last outing, however, and had a two-game winning streak snapped when they lost 3-2 to to Anaheim Ducks. After trailing big time in the Northwest Division, Colorado now sits one point above Minnesota for No. 2 beneath the Vancouver Canucks, as both teams are trying to cut the lead and gain control of the division.

Both teams has won a game apiece between each other this year, and this is the third of six meetings. Minnesota took the first meeting, a 1-0 shutout on the back of a Devin Setoguchi goal in November and the Avalanche taking the most recent by a margin of 4-2, with both games in Minnesota. The Wild haven't won a game on the road in 11-straight tries, and a 12th will be a franchise record.

The game is set for 9:00 p.m. eastern.

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