The race for first in the Central Division is getting a little too close for comfort.

A wildly undisciplined second period from the Colorado Avalanche was the difference, as the Minnesota Wild scored two power-play goals on their way to a 5-2 victory over the home team at Ball Arena. Their second power-play goal came after the Avalanche had three players in the box for separate penalties, with the Wild ultimately taking advantage of an exhausted penalty kill for Colorado.

Gabriel Landeskog was one of those three players in the box and took some responsibility for the undisciplined play after the game. He has three penalties in the two games since the break.

“We tie it up, undisciplined penalty by me,” Landeskog said after the game. “I don’t love the call on Val, I feel like he’s protecting himself, to be honest. Then Burns, stuff like that happens. That’s three in a row within a matter of 30 seconds. It’s hard. It’s a big, big, heavy burden on the PK.”

The Avalanche did get Nathan MacKinnon back in this game, as the star center sat out Wednesday’s game in Utah. He finished with two assists, but it wasn’t enough for the home team. This was a major four-point swing game inside of the division, and the advantage on this night went to the Wild.

Colorado’s lead in the Central Division is now down to just five points, although they have two games in hand on Minnesota.

“I think we’ve felt like there’s a race for the first spot since the opening-night puck drop. That’s just kind of the way it is,” Jared Bednar said after the game. “No one cares what kind of start you have, how big of a lead you have, no one feels sorry for you if you have injuries, no one feels sorry for you if you don’t play well. It’s the standings at the end of the year is what matters. That was a missed opportunity, that’s what that was.”

The Avalanche play the Wild just one more time on March 8, while they’ve still have three games left against the Dallas Stars, who sit just six points back of Colorado in the standings.

Buckle up because it’s about to get interesting.

Wild 5, Avalanche 2

What happened: An undisciplined second period from the Avalanche was the difference.

What went right: Martin Necas has kept his game in top form coming out of the Olympic break, scoring both goals for the Avalanche. He’s just a few goals away from breaking his career high of 28.

What went wrong: Discipline has been an issue for the Avalanche coming out of the break, even if the reffing in this one was questionable. They’ve been forced to kill six power plays in each game the last two days.

Avalanche goal scorers: Necas (24, 25)

Wild goal scorers: Eriksson Ek (16, 17), Zuccarello (10), Boldy (33, 34)

Between the pipes: Mackenzie Blackwood had some tough luck in this one with a few own goals. He finished with 31 saves.

What’s next: The Avalanche will host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday at 4 p.m.