Matt Dumba injured, helped off the ice in loss to Avalanche

DENVER – Getting steamrolled by the Avalanche on Thursday night wasn't the only loss the Wild suffered.

The team's manpower also took a hit, as defenseman Matt Dumba left the game in the second period injured and did not return.

Coach Dean Evason didn't have an update on Dumba's status after the game.

Dumba was hurt after crashing feet first into the boards in the Wild's zone. He had to be helped off the ice and wasn't putting weight on his right leg.

"It's tough," said Jonas Brodin, Dumba's defensive partner who helped Dumba to the bench. "I actually didn't see what happened, but I talked to him a little bit on the way back and it's tough to see a guy like that go down and get hurt. He's a big part of the team, too, so you never like to see that."

This was the second time this season Dumba exited a game early due to injury.

In a Jan.30 matchup against Colorado at Xcel Energy Center, Dumba got tied up with teammate Jordan Greenway and fell awkwardly to the ice. He missed the next two games, but then the Wild was shut down by a COVID-19 outbreak. When the season resumed, Dumba was back in action.

In 26 games, Dumba has five goals and six assists for 11 points.

"We'll see what the prognosis is and move forward," defenseman Ian Cole said.

Dumba's exit exacerbated an already rough night for the Wild, with the Avalanche in complete control en route to a 5-1 dismantling.

And that lopsided vibe was in place from the first drop of the puck.

"Right from the start we didn't have the legs or hands, and they came up hard," Brodin said. "We should be ready for it, and it's not good enough."

Colorado scored two goals in the first period on 25 shots – which tied the franchise record for most shots given up in a period by the Wild – one in the second on 19 shots and another two in the third on 11 shots.

To put that shot volume in perspective, only twice in the Wild's previous eight games had the team been tagged for more than 30 shots. And during its recent three-game series against Arizona, the Coyotes averaged 26 shots.

"We tried to make some nice plays down low," Brodin said. "We gotta be stronger, make it easier down there. Just a bad game by us, and we gotta be way better next game."

Cam Talbot's 50 saves were the most in his career and the most a goaltender has made in the NHL this season.

He did an admirable job, especially in the first period when the Colorado essentially kept the action right in front of him. Not until the Avalanche's 20th shot did a puck finally get by Talbot, and it was a fluky goal – a shot that clipped off Dumba's stick before nose-diving into the net.

"He did everything he had to do to keep us in this hockey game," Evason said.