DENVER _ By getting stuck in the clump of teams chasing the division leaders, the Wild have not only had to pay attention to the gap they have to close ahead of them but also who's gaining ground behind them.
And the pressure from both directions doesn't appear to be weakening.
After the Stars won to grow their cushion over the Wild to four points earlier in day, the Avalanche delivered another blow by overwhelming the Wild, 7-2, Saturday at Pepsi Center to tie the Wild in points at 47 during the Wild's fourth straight loss on the road.
The win extended the Avalanche's win streak to a season-high five games, a feel-good run that has planted the team firmly in the playoff race and made former great Milan Hejduk's pregame jersey retirement ceremony even more memorable.
Colorado was almost dominant in the first period, mixing its speed and skill with a physicality that seemed to rattle the Wild. The visitors were sloppy, porous in their defensive-zone setup and mostly out-of-sync in all three zones.
And the Avalanche capitalized.
Winger Gabriel Bourque, who hadn't scored since Nov. 10, 2015, snapped out of his funk when he was left unattended in the slot to roof a shot over goalie Devan Dubnyk's glove 7 minutes, 38 seconds into the first period.
The Wild's fourth line had the best chance of the period; winger Daniel Winnik's wrap-around attempt nearly snuck over the goal line. The close call stung even more after the Avalanche transitioned the play to the other end and scored its second after defenseman Patrik Nemeth buried a beautiful no-look drop pass by center Nathan MacKinnon at 18:16.
But before the first ended, the Wild were able to get one back when center Eric Staal stuffed in a rebound in front at 19:27.
That goal seemed crucial for the Wild, but its impact may have diminished over the intermission because the team could not convert early in the second.
Instead, the Avalanche grew their lead.
Just after Winnik hit the post while shorthanded, a puck that could have tied it at 2, the Avalanche went the other way on the power play and went up 3-1 when center Carl Soderberg one-timed a feed from the corner by Dubnyk 8:03 into the period.
Colorado added a fourth amid another wave of heavy pressure around the crease. This time, Dubnyk slid across in time to stop a redirect from MacKinnon. He also got a piece of a Gabriel Landeskog shot, but the Wild couldn't get a hold of the loose puck before winger Mikko Rantanen pounced on it and lifted a backhander over Dubnyk with 3:41 remaining in the second.
The Wild challenged the goal to determine if Dubnyk was interfered with on the play, but the goal stood.
Again, the Wild tried to orchestrate a rally with Staal the conductor _ as he buried yet another loose puck for his team-leading 19th goal at 19:22 on the power play.
But it remained a challenge for the Wild to build off the momentum they generated.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche continued to convert.
Soderberg tallied his second of the game when he put back a rebound at 5:13 on the power play and after Dubnyk was called for roughing, the Avalanche scored another power-play tally _ this one from MacKinnon. Dubnyk was pulled after that, exiting with 26 saves. Alex Stalock made five stops in relief, giving up a goal to center Tyson Jost with 2:15 to go, while Jonathan Bernier had 34.
Colorado finished 3 for 4 with the man advantage, while the Wild were 1 for 4.
