The Avalanche on Thursday recalled center T.J. Hensick from Lake Erie of the AHL. The 21-year-old leads Lake Erie in scoring this season with five goals and 13 points in 18 games.

Defenceman Karlis Skrastins was taken off the injured list and Cody McCormick recalled from the Colorado Avalanche AHL affiliate in time for Tuesday's game against Calgary. Skrastins missed 12 games after hurting a shoulder during an Oct. 19 game in Chicago.

Matt Foy and Aaron Voros filled in well for Minnesota's missing offensive threats. Foy scored for the first time in more than two years; Voros and Brent Burns added goals for the second time in two games; and the Wild beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 Sunday.

The top two teams in the Northwest Division meet on Sunday when the Avalanche take on the Wild. The Avalanche, who are six points behind the Red Wings in second place in the Western Conference, had a two-game win streak snapped on Friday, suffering a 2-1 overtime loss to the Canucks.

The Avalanche have acquired goaltender Jason Bacashihua from the Blues in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft. The Avs assigned Bacashihua to Lake Erie, the team's AHL affiliate in Cleveland.

Colorado forward Brad Richardson, sidelined by an offseason wrist injury, was cleared to play Wednesday and reassigned to the Avalanche's AHL affiliate. He'll play for the Lake Erie Monsters in Cleveland.

In addition to losing the game, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday lost the services of defenseman Ryan Whitney who left the 3-2 setback to the Colorado Avalanche in the second period with a groin injury.