DENVER (AP) -Ryan Smyth had a goal and an assist, and Joe Sakic added two assists, leading the Colorado Avalanche past the Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Sunday.
The Wild are 0-2-1 since a 7-0-1 start. The Avalanche improved to 5-0 at home.
Peter Budaj had 29 saves for the Avalanche. Minnesota rookie Josh Harding, starting consecutive games for the first time, made 19 saves.
The Wild nearly tied it with 2:58 left. Petteri Nummelin skated around the back of the net with the puck and tried to put a shot into the top of the net. Budaj reached with his glove and made the save.
Wojtek Wolski got an insurance goal with 37 seconds left.
Oilers 3, Ducks 2, SO
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Oilers rookie Andrew Cogliano scored a short-handed goal with 1:27 left in the third period, Mathieu Garon made 31 saves and Edmonton beat Anaheim in a shootout to send the defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks to their fourth straight loss.
Ales Hemsky also scored for Edmonton and connected in the shootout to seal the victory after Sam Gagner opened the tiebreaker with a goal against Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
Chris Kunitz and Corey Perry scored for Anaheim (4-7-2).
The Oilers faced the Ducks for the first time since luring second-year left wing Dustin Penner away from Anaheim with a five-year, $21.25 million offer sheet that Ducks general manager Brian Burke declined to match. The move triggered an ugly public spat between Burke and Edmonton GM Kevin Lowe, who watched the game from adjacent suites in the press box without speaking to each other.
Red Wings 3, Canucks 2
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Jiri Hudler’s highlight-reel goal in the final minute of the second period carried Detroit over Vancouver.
With the game tied at 2, Hudler skated around defenseman Alexander Edler down the right wing before pulling the puck quickly to his forehand and roofing a shot over the left shoulder and glove of goalie Roberto Luongo from close range.
Tomas Holmstrom scored and Mikael Samuelsson had a goal and an assist as the Red Wings beat Vancouver for the second time in four nights and won their fifth straight overall, giving them an NHL-best 19 points (9-2-1).
Hudler’s goal stood up through a wild final minute in which the Canucks thought they netted the tying tally. Taylor Pyatt’s hard whack against the legs of goalie Chris Osgood knocked the puck into the net, but the goal was immediately waved off because a quick whistle had already sounded.
Osgood got his second straight start in place of Dominik Hasek and made 27 saves to improve to 5-0.
Matt Cooke and Markus Naslund scored, and Luongo stopped 29 shots for the Canucks, who have two wins in seven games – both on the road. Henrik Zetterberg was credited with the second assist, giving him a point in all 12 games and giving him an NHL-best 21 points.
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