Some of the issues that looked fixed two days ago in a decisive win against the Dallas Stars were again troubling for the Colorado Avalanche in a loss to the Minnesota Wild.

Nathan MacKinnon is in a tight race for the Hart Trophy (MVP), but the Colorado Avalanche center likely added another bullet point to his strong résumé on Wednesday night.

Missing this many games all but eliminates him from contention no matter how well he has played or how much he has produced this season.

Ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs' game on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild, there are reports of a heavy scout presence in the arena raising trade speculation.

The Colorado Avalanche put up a short performance against division rival Minnesota Wild in their fourth of a five-game homestand. Nathan MacKinnon scores Colorado's lone goal in the 3-1 loss.

(AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, left, loses control of the puck while driving between Minnesota Wild defenseman Jake Middleton, front right, and center Marco Rossi in the first period of an NHL hockey game Monday ...

MacKinnon is the most likely Avalanche player to take advantage of a Wild defense that is bleeding shots. Not only is he the best shot-generator on the team, but the Wild have allowed the second-most shots to centers in the NHL over the past few weeks.

“We’ve got to help him out more.” Minnesota Wild left wing Marcus Foligno, front left, passes the puck as Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, back left, and goaltender Mackenzie ...

Yakov Trenin and Brock Faber scored goals 1:35 apart early in the third period, and the Minnesota Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 3-1 in Denver on Monday.

Never a huge goal-scorer, Granlund is on pace to hit 20 for the third time in his 13-year career and the first since 2017-18 with Minnesota. But the 32-year-old has been a point producer with the Sharks. He’s leading the team with 44 points in 51 contests after a scoring a team-high 60 points in 69 games last season.

The Seattle Kraken will send Philipp Grubauer to the American Hockey League if he clears waivers. Follow this tracker for the latest NHL news.

The Winnipeg Jets lead the NHL power rankings for the first time since November, but it's tight at the top. Plus, the blockbuster Rantanen trade has another big winner.