ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Nathan MacKinnon had been waiting for the puck to go in for him. The Colorado Avalanche center entered his fourth NHL season with plenty of promise, only to score just twice in the seasons first 15 games.The top overall draft pick in 2013 was feeling a bit better Saturday night after scoring the game-winning goal.MacKinnon brought the puck up the center of the ice and used a Wild defenseman to screen his shot, scoring with 10 minutes left to finish off Colorados third-period comeback. He added an assist in the Avalanches 3-2 win at Minnesota.MacKinnon has scored in back-to-back games to rekindle hopes of a big season after he signed a seven-year, $44.1 million contract extension in the offseason.I feel like Ive had a lot of good chances the first 17 games, MacKinnon said. When I went 10 straight without a goal, I felt like, you dont deserve goals, but you feel like youre around the net and it should start going in. It was tough there for a while and its nice to finally see a couple go in, for sure.Calvin Pickard stopped 41 shots in beating the Wild for the second time this season. Hes allowed two goals on 73 shots.If youre sharp, they throw a lot of pucks to the net and both games weve played weve been good at boxing out rebounds and letting me see the puck, Pickard said. We did that again tonight, with big efforts from our D and our forwards helping out down low as well.The Avalanche trailed 2-0 heading into the final period, but goals by Mikko Rantanen and Carl Soderberg just 3 minutes apart tied the game.Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for Minnesota, but his shutout streak was snapped at 156 minutes, 6 seconds. Charlie Coyle and Tyler Graovac scored for the Wild, who had been 6-0-1 when leading after two periods.We stopped playing, Dubnyk said. I dont know what happened. Thats not like us. Things are going to happen, and they might get one or two, but we just stopped playing in our end. I dont know if we thought it was going to be an easy third with the way the game was going, but we had a pretty good game going and thats a waste of a game.Colorado earned its first victory of the season when trailing after two. The Avalanche were 0-9-0 when entering the second intermission with a deficit.Third periods havent been our friend this season, MacKinnon said. Weve been struggling late in games. For whatever reason, we cant seem to tie it up and get the win. Were going to feed off this. Scoring three goals in the third period is big, after being shut out after two. Beating a goalie like Dubnyk is no easy task.Dubnyk had allowed just nine goals in his previous nine starts.The flurry of goals came in the third, but the teams traded shots in the first. They combined for 41 shots in the period, setting a Minnesota record for one period. The Wild had 21 shots, a franchise mark for the first period.Game notes Minnesota forward Zach Parise was scratched prior to the game with an illness. He had returned to play two games after missing six because of a lower-body injury. ... Colorado C Matt Duchene (concussion) missed his fourth straight game, while F Gabriel Landeskog (lower-body injury) missed his second game in a row. ... The Avalanche were fifth in the NHL in most penalty minutes per game coming in and proceeded to take five minor penalties. The Wild went 1 of 4 on the power play. ... Minnesota started a stretch of three straight games and four of five against Central Division opponents. ... Wild D Marco Scandella (high ankle sprain) returned to practice Friday. Scandella has missed eight games and is eligible to return from long-term injured reserve next week.UP NEXTAvalanche: Colorados three-game road trip ends Monday against the Columbus Blue Jackets.Wild: Minnesota has a one-game trip to Dallas on Monday. Jordan Retro Pas Cher . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Destockage Air Jordan . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. http://www.pascherairjordanfrance.fr/ . PAUL, Minn. Air Jordan France . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Air Jordan Pas Cher France . In taking its goal tally to 99 in all competitions already this season, City delivered another demonstration of its lethal firepower at Etihad Stadium to set up a fourth-round match at home to another second-tier team -- Watford. Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Thursday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- SAN DIEGO -- All eyes will be on Colin Kaepernick. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback intends to sit again during the anthem, an action that has stirred a nationwide debate about politics, protest and football. Game starts 10 p.m.- 49ers-Chargers game is one of 15 NFL exhibitions on Thursday nights schedule.- NEW YORK -- Juan Martin del Potro, the 2009 champion playing as a wild card, faces Steve Johnson in the second round of the U.S. Open. Also, Venus Williams vs. Julia Goerges during day session; Serena Williams vs. Vania King at night.- CHICAGO -- Kris Bryant and the major league-leading Chicago Cubs open a four-game series against the Giants. Ex-Cub Jeff Samardzija pitches for San Francisco, which is 1 1/2 games out of first in the NL West. Game starts 8:05 p.m.- College football games of note Thursday night: No. 9 Tennessee vs. Appalachian State (7:30 p.m.); No. 19 Louisville vs. Charlotte (7 p.m.); Minnesota vs. Oregon State (8 p.m.); South Carolina vs. Vanderbilt (8 p.m.).- DARLINGTON, S.C. -- If Jeff Gordon hopes to give the No. 88 team a chance at a championship, there may be no better place than Darlington Raceway. The four-time series champpion has won seven times at the track.dddddddddddd- ZURICH -- Franz Beckenbauer is a criminal suspect in a World Cup fraud case. The soccers greats home in Austria is raided by Swiss prosecutors investigating links to FIFA.- JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The U.S. plays St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier Friday, and American forward Bobby Wood hopes his dazzling debut with club team Hamburg last week bodes well.- Brazil has a new coach for its World Cup qualifier at Ecuador (5 p.m.). Qualifier tuneups in Europe highlighted by Belgium-Spain, France-Italy, Netherlands-Greece.- NORTON, Mass. -- The TPC Boston begins Friday and is the second stop on the FedEx Cup road to a $10 million bonus. Plenty of players now have two cups -- FedEx and Ryder -- on their minds.- CAMBRIDGE, Ontario -- Ariya Jutanugarn opens play in the LPGA Manulife Classic, using a driver for the first time in tournament play since May. Shes trying to win three straight events for the second time this season.- LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- Yarelys Barrios of Cuba is stripped of the silver medal in the womens discus from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after a reanalysis of her doping samples. ' ' '