The Colorado Avalanche finish their first back-to-back series of the new year 1-1-0. After a 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, they came ready to play against the Minnesota Wild, who currently sit at 4th in the league and 2nd in the western conference.

The Wild won’t have to wait too long for a do-over — their rematch against the Avalanche is only 10 days away — but the impression they’ve left in the meantime is not of the team that soared ahead of Colorado in the Central Division.

The short-handed Minnesota Wild fought for a while, but their excess of injuries ultimately proved too much to overcome in a 6-1 blowout loss to the Colorado Avalanche Thursday night at the Xcel Energy Center in St.