Struggling this season one point from the cellar

DENVER - Late comebacks and wins in extra time made the Colorado Avalanche the NHLs surprise team last year.Struggling this season one point from the cellar of the Western Conferences Central Division, Colorado reverted to that winning formula on Thursday night. Matt Duchene had a goal and an assist in regulation and got the decisive goal in the shootout, Calvin Pickard had 30 saves through overtime and stopped two more shots with the game on the line, and Colorado rallied to beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3.It was huge, Pickard said. Weve been losing close games by one goal, and the difference between winning and losing is a small margin. We wanted to just stick with it for 60 minutes and we did right to the end.Ryan OReilly and Jarome Iginla also had regulation goals as Colorado stopped a four-game skid.The Avalanche routinely won last year by scoring late in the third period and then prevailing after regulation. Thursday was only one win, but coach Patrick Roy hopes its the start of something good.We were resilient and it was a nice comeback, he said. To win in the shootout was good for us. You always hope a game like this will bring confidence and a belief in ourselves.Mark Scheifele, who had a goal and two assists, gave Winnipeg a 3-1 lead with a goal at 4:32 of the third, but Colorado rallied late. Iginlas wrister with 7:05 left got the Avalanche within a goal and OReilly tied it with 2:42 remaining in regulation.We played well to get a 3-1 lead, Scheifele said. Then we took our foot off the gas in the third period and they were able to generate chances.After a scoreless overtime, Nathan MacKinnon and Duchene beat goalie Ondrej Pavelec with a couple of backhanders. Pickard stopped Mathieu Perreault and Blake Wheeler in the shootout to get the win.I actually have faced Wheeler in the summers, Pickard said. I know hes got great moves and I just wanted to be patient and let the play come to me.Pickard made a pair of saves on a breakaway midway through overtime. Andrew Ladd came in alone but was stoned. His rebound came to Bryan Little, but Pickard made the save on his shot to keep it tied.I just wanted to be patient, Pickard said. Our back check forced (Ladd) to make a quick shot. I was playing pretty aggressive and the rebound kind of just lay there. I made a desperation-mode save.Pavelec finished with 23 saves in regulation and overtime. Ladd and Paul Postma also had regulation goals for Winnipeg, which is 5-0-3 in its last eight games.Ladd got Winnipeg on the board 1:21 into the second period with a power-play goal. Scheifeles shot went off Pickard and bounced in the air. The puck landed in the crease and Ladd poked it in for his 11th goal of the season and second in as many games against Colorado.The Avalanche ended a 93-minute, 31-second scoring drought when Duchene finished off a nice rush with a deflection into the top of the net that tied the game at 1-all at 3:55 of the second.Postma gave the Jets a 2-1 lead heading into the third with a power-play goal at 14:40. It was his second of the season.We dominated the second period where Id thought the game was won, Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice said. At 3-1 I thought we were fine.NOTES: Michael Frolik had two assists for Winnipeg. ... Avalanche LW Alex Tanguay had two assists. ... The Avalanche placed C John Mitchell (leg) on injured reserve and recalled RW Dennis Everberg from Lake Erie of the AHL. ... Jets LW Evander Kane served the second of his two-game suspension for boarding Anaheims Clayton Stoner on Sunday. ... 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After overcoming a three-goal deficit the Senators forced the game to overtime only to watch it slip away as Seth Jones scored the winner 3:49 into the extra period as the Nashville Predators defeated the Senators 4-3 Monday night.ST. PAUL, Minn. - After failing to protect a lead two nights ago against one of the NHLs worst teams, the Minnesota Wild held on late against a fellow playoff contender. Zach Parise broke a tie early in the third period, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 29 shots to break the franchise rookie victory record in Wilds 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night. After Jason Pominville had several whacks at the puck from in close, Parise stuffed it past Rangers backup goalie Cam Talbot 1:03 into the third. "Yeah, its going to be important from here on out to learn how to protect leads and win games the hard way," Parise said. "Tonight, it was a hard game, the way they played. They were in our face all the time through the neutral zone." Two nights after Kuemper failed hold a three-goal lead against Edmonton, he bounced back for his 12th victory. Nino Niederreiter also scored to help the Wild snap a three-game losing streak. Derek Stepan scored for the Rangers, who buzzed around the net in the final seconds, but couldnt get one past Kuemper. New York lost its second straight and for only the seventh time on the road in its last 24 games. "After they scored their second goal in the third period, they sort of backed off a little bit on their forecheck, and we were able to get some chances there but werent able to finish," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. Kuempers highlights included a save from close range on Derick Brassard with 8 seconds left and a key stop on Rick Nash when the Rangers were on the power play late in the third. After the game, Kuemper was asked if he felt any added pressure after Tuesday nights collapse. "No, you know what, maybe a little bit before the game. But once you get out there its just another game and you just want to do what youve done all year," he said. "I think as a whole we did a good job of thaat.ddddddddddddquot; Niederreiter scored from the slot in the first after confusion between Nash and John Moore led to a turnover deep in the New York zone. Stepan tied it on the power play at 3:19 of the second with a wrist shot that Kuemper never saw. Stepan hit the post on a shot 15 seconds earlier. It was the second straight game New York was held to a single goal. "I dont think it was so much them, I think were more worried about ourselves," Nash said. "We have to establish more offence, more shots. Its just not going our way right now. Weve got to work through this." Talbot — starting the first game of a back-to-back in place of Henrik Lundqvist — made 24 saves. Both teams are trying to hold down playoff spots as the season winds down. The Wild are in the top wild-card slot in the Western Conference, while the Rangers are in a battle to finish among the top three teams in the Metropolitan Division in the East. "What I liked was the two goals that we scored were goals that we can score in the playoffs," said Wild coach Mike Yeo, whose team has played in six straight one-goal games, going 3-1-2. "Those are the kind of goals that we have to score going forward. That was one of our keys to the game, we need a playoff offence mentality. I still think we can be a little bit more aggressive to the net." NOTES: While calling the game from between the benches in the first period, Wild television analyst Mike Greenlay took an accidental stick to the face from New Yorks Mats Zuccarello. Greenlay got stitches during the intermission and called the rest of the game with a small bandage under his left eye. "Upper body injury," Yeo joked after the game. ... Stepan has 10 points in his last eight games. New York lost for only the second time when Stepan scores. ... Parises goal was his 23rd, one behind Pominville for the team lead. ' ' '