Avalanche's defensive depth has become a major advantage over shorthanded Wild

DENVER — During the third period of Game 2 between the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, the Wild’s Quinn Hughes tried to turn behind his net with the puck and the Avalanche’s Artturi Lehkonen shoved him straight into the end boards. Not long after, Nathan MacKinnon knocked the star defenseman off the puck and onto the ice in Minnesota’s offensive zone.The minutes Hughes played in the game weren’t just plentiful. They were hard.Advertisement