DENVER (AP) -Greg Mauldin scored two goals to fuel Colorado's four-goal burst in the second period and the Avalanche recorded a season-high goal total to beat the Minnesota Wild 7-4 on Saturday night and snap a two-game losing streak.
However, the game did take a toll on the health of the Avalanche, which saw Chris Stewart and Daniel Winnik sustain injuries.
Winnick left in the first period after being struck in the right leg by a puck. He left the ice under his own power but was limping noticeably. It was later revealed that he suffered a leg contusion.
Stewart sustained a fractured hand after fighting late in the second period with Minnesota's Kyle Brodziak.
Trailing 2-1 entering the second, the Avalanche tied it on Mauldin's first goal of the night 2:45 into the period. They surged in front with a three-goal flurry over a 2:11 stretch, including Mauldin's second goal at 7:50 of the second, in which he collected a rebound off the end wall and knocked it past goalie Niklas Backstrom.
The Avs regained the lead on Milan Hejduk's power play score at 7:18 of the second. They pulled away to a three-goal advantage 1:21 later when Kevin Shattenkirk gathered in a loose puck along the boards near the blue line and fired a wrist shot that beat Backstrom. Shattenkirk extended his point streak to six games, the longest by a rookie defenseman this season.
Backstrom was replaced by Jose Theodore after Matt Duchene scored the Avalanche's seventh goal of the night at 6:49 of the third.
Colorado scored 1:01 into the game, its quickest goal to start a game this season, when Paul Stastny put in a shot from a tough angle.
But the Wild answered later in the first with a pair of goals to go in front. Antti Miettinen tied it up with at 14:19 of the first with his sixth goal of the season and Matt Cullen beat Avalanche goalie Peter Budaj with a slap shot from just inside the blue line on the power play at 19:39.
David Jones added a goal for the Avalanche at 5:03 of third to offset Brodziak's goal for the Wild at 14:22 of the second. Broadziak scored his second of the night at 13:58 of the third.
NOTES: Minnesota won five of the six meetings with Colorado last season, including two in shootouts. ... The Avs' previous season high for goals in a game was six, which they achieved against Calgary on Oct. 28 and St. Louis on Nov. 15. ... The four goals in the second were the most the Wild have given up in a period this season. ... The last time Minnesota allowed seven goals in a game was at Phoenix on April 12, 2002.
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