Colton scored his second goal of the game and 15th of the season with an empty-net tally at 19:52 of the third period to give the Avs a 5-2 lead. With the secondary assist on the goal, Blackwood picked up his first point with the Avalanche.
Jonathan Drouin and Jack Drury scored 52 seconds apart in a three-goal second period and the Colorado Avalanche beat weary Minnesota 5-2 on Friday night to pull even with the third-place Wild in the Central Division.
Valeri Nichushkin also scored, Oliver Kylington contributed two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 19 shots for Colorado. The Avalanche improved to 2-0 on their six-game homestand and pulled even with the Wild for third place in the Central Division, though Minnesota has a game in hand.