Missing this many games all but eliminates him from contention no matter how well he has played or how much he has produced this season.

Some of the issues that looked fixed two days ago in a decisive win against the Dallas Stars were again troubling for the Colorado Avalanche in a loss to the Minnesota Wild.

The Minnesota Wild feel a sense of urgency despite having nearly half a season left to play. After losing three in a row and four of their last five games, the Wild will look to turn things around on Monday afternoon against the host Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

The Colorado Avalanche put up a short performance against division rival Minnesota Wild in their fourth of a five-game homestand. Nathan MacKinnon scores Colorado's lone goal in the 3-1 loss.

Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber scored goals 1:35 apart early in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 in Denver on Monday.

Yakov Trenin scored against his former team early in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Monday.

MacKinnon is the most likely Avalanche player to take advantage of a Wild defense that is bleeding shots. Not only is he the best shot-generator on the team, but the Wild have allowed the second-most shots to centers in the NHL over the past few weeks.

DENVER -- Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber scored 1:35 apart in the third period for the Minnesota Wild, who pulled away from the Colorado Avalanche for a 3-1 win at Ball Arena on Monday.

The Minnesota Wild won’t be returning home empty-handed. They snapped a three-game losing streak by stymieing the high-flying Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Monday afternoon at Ball Arena to earn a split on their road trip.

Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] Minnesota Wild (27-15-4, in the Central Division ... The Avalanche won 6-1 in the previous matchup. TOP PERFORMERS: Nathan MacKinnon has 17 goals and 56 assists for the Avalanche.

The Avalanche lost 3-1 to the Minnesota Wild at Ball Arena on Monday. Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado while Mackenzie Blackwood made 23 saves inclduing two highlight-reel stops. Minnesota's Jake Middleton opened the scoring at 12:18 of the first period with a wrist shot through traffic from the point.

The Dallas Stars and Golden Knights have been two of the West's top teams for years, and it may be the Conference Final we deserve.