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Recap
Avalanche 4, Wild 2
Associated Press

DENVER (AP) -Paul Stastny had two goals and an assist to help the Colorado Avalanche beat a well-rested Minnesota Wild squad 4-2 on Sunday night.

Colorado ran its mark to 7-1-1 over its last nine games. The Avalanche also has the best home record in the Western Conference at 9-1.

Peter Budaj stopped 25 shots,and Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist.

The Avalanche played the final 1:49 with a man advantage after Branko Radivojevic was called for hooking.

The Wild pulled Niklas Backstrom with 29.3 seconds remaining, and Wojtek Wolski sealed the game for Colorado on an empty-net goal with a second remaining.

Backstrom, playing with a sore groin, turned away 22 shots.

The Wild were off for five days before taking the ice Sunday. They were without Stephane Veilleux, who was scratched before the game. He broke his left cheekbone when he was hit by a puck in practice Saturday.

Eric Belanger and Pierre-Marc Bouchard had power-play goals for the Wild in the second period. Minnesota has seven power-play goals in its last three games.

Stastny's two goals in the second period, along with his assist on Wolski's goal, gave him 100 points in 99 career games. He's just the sixth player in franchise history to reach 100 points in 100 or fewer contests.

Stastny's father, Peter, needed 73 games to reach 100 points. His uncles, Marian and Anton Stastny, took 82 and 95 games, respectively, to reach the mark.

Stastny now has 20 points at the Pepsi Center this season, tying him for the league lead in scoring on home ice.

Joe Sakic assisted on Stastny's first goal, which came courtesy of a power play. He now has 12 assists in his last 12 games.

Smyth scored his sixth goal of the season in the first period when he lasered a shot by Backstrom. Smyth's goal came off an assist from Scott Hannan. It's the second time Smyth and Hannan, the Avalanche's two big offseason acquisitions, have teamed up for a score this season.

Marian Gaborik missed his second straight game due to a lingering strained groin. Gaborik has feasted on the Avalanche in his career, tallying 28 points in 33 games.

The Wild recalled forward Aaron Voros and goalie Nolan Schaefer from the AHL's Houston Aeros before the game.

Voros made his NHL debut and played 8:31. He also drew a major penalty for fighting with Jeff Finger in the second period.

The Avalanche won't play again until Friday night in Dallas.

Notes: Avalanche D Karlis Skrastins has returned to practice. He's been out with a shoulder injury since Oct. 19. ... The Avalanche honored military personnel on Veterans Day with the playing of Taps and a 21-gun salute before the game. The veterans in attendance received a standing ovation from the crowd as Colorado F Ian Laperriere tapped his stick on the ice in appreciation. ... Laperriere suffered a knee injury in the second period and didn't return.


Three star selections
1st:   PAUL STASTNY
2nd:   SCOTT HANNAN
3rd:   PETER BUDAJ
Winning Goaltender
Peter Budaj

Losing Goaltender
Niklas Backstrom
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