The Minnesota Wild took it to the Avalanche tonight at the Pepsi Center, handing the Burgundy and Blue their second loss in a row, the first coming from the powerhouse that is the LA Kings.

DENVER - DECEMBER 23: (L-R) Matt Cullen of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his second goal of the first period with teammates Patrick O'Sullivan and Antti Miettinen as John Michael Liles of the Colorado Avalanche looks on at the Pepsi Center on December 23, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

The first period saw two goals from the Wild. The first a short-handed goal by Matt Cullen, a rebound shot after Cal Clutterbuck took the puck to Craig Anderson, who slid too far out of position. With a practically open net, Cullen popped it in.

David Jones was able to tie the game back up, banging in his own rebound after Niklas Backstrom lost it right in front of himself. Unfortunately, the tie wouldn’t hold for very long.

With four minutes left in the first, Cullen again was able to get the puck into the net when Marek Zidlicky purposely shot wide, Anderson sliding out to block the initial slap shot. The puck trickled behind the Avalanche net minder and Cullen popped it over the line.

The only goal scored in the second period came from former Avalanche Andrew Brunette. After this particular goal, Anderson was pulled from the net and Peter Budaj took his place between the pipes.

Budaj came up big for the Avs a few times, but Backstrom came up even better. Though the Avs had a lot more scoring chances, Backstrom came up big for his team, but what it all came down to was defense. The Wild played better defensively tonight, plain and simple.

Most of the Avs shots came from far out, either hitting a body in front of the net, or with Backstrom having a clear view. The single smartest thing the Wild did to the Avalanche tonight was to stop them in the neutral zone, where the Burgundy and Blue have a tendency to pick up some serious speed. Without that speed, the Avs looked a bit lost.

Notes: Paul Stastny was nearly invisible in tonight’s game. Greg Mauldin, finishing a check, ran his face into the glass and busted his mouth up a bit. He didn’t return.

What did you think? What do the Avs need to do to improve their game? How can they get back to the play they displayed during their 6-game win streak?

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