DENVER (AP) — Zach Parise scored twice, Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves for his 19th NHL shutout and the surging Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-0 on Saturday in a pivotal game between two teams contending for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

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Photo: Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
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Jordan Schroeder also scored and Mikael Granlund added a short-handed goal into an empty net to help the Wild move five points ahead of Colorado for eighth place in the playoff race.

Parise remains red hot as he followed up his hat trick on Thursday night with two more goals, including one in the second period of a scoreless contest that sent the Wild on their way to their fifth straight win.

This was a crushing blow to the playoff chances of the Avalanche. They have a tougher schedule with all seven of their remaining games against teams headed to the postseason. The Wild play three of their final six contests against teams with no postseason shot.

 

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