Avs vs. Minnesota Wild 2-5

This one hurt...a lot! But I think that the Avs lost not because of a lack of effort or bad goaltending (which I will get to later) but because Manny Fernandez was on fire! Marion Gaborik didn't do too bad either as he got his eighth career hat trick. Here's what went down:

-the Avs came out with a lot of energy and played really well.
-about 4 1/2 minutes in, Gaborik scored the first goal of evening. 42 seconds later, Dupuis scored the second goal. Peter Budaj who started his 13th consecutive game for the Avs was pulled. Jose Theodore, who hadn't played since January 31st, had dressed as the backup goalie for the evening and at this point was put in net in Budaj's place.
-The Avs were able to kill a 4 minute double minor to Karlis Skrastins and kept the Wild from scoring again in the first.
-At this point, it was completely possible for the Avs to make a comeback. Fernandez had made 17 saves in the first period and seemed to be solid, but there was still the chance that the Avs could get some kind of offense going.
-The period saw a solid period for both teams. Fernandez made 14 saves to deny the Avs a goal, while Theodore made 7, allowing one goal in the second on a power play.
-The third period was perhaps the best period for the Avs. They finally managed to solve Fernandez and scored twice, once on the power play, once at even strength. However, the Wild made some opportunistic plays and were able to score twice as well.

All in all, it was a great game. The Avs played pretty well, but were denied by a hot goaltender focused on earning the $13 million he just resigned for and a 30th win in this season. Jose Theodore look pretty solid in net for a guy who hasn't seen any action since January 31st. In the beginning, it was obvious he was still a little shaky but as the game went on, he gained some confidence and played well. I think this was a great step in his recovery and hope he will play amazingly on Tuesday against the Coyotes. I am fairly sure he will start on Tuesday as it was announced he would start then before this evenings' game.