Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild: 7 Takeaways

Oct 8, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Avalanche mascot Bernie carries a 20th anniversary flag before the game against the Minnesota Wild at Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Colorado Avalanche lost their season opener 5-4 in a Wild game — pun intended (let’s not be too sad about this just yet). It was a tough loss, but to be honest, it could have been worse after that atrocious preseason. Four goals after only a single one in the final five preseason games is a huge step forward. Even aside from that, there were more than just a few bright spots throughout the game.

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Patrick Roy’s “insane” line combinations did work in part, but not everything went perfectly. It was only the first game with completely shuffled lines, so that doesn’t come as a surprise.

We were all hoping for a perfect start into the 20th anniversary season, and for the longest time, it looked like the Avalanche wanted to achieve that just as much. Unfortunately, everyone’s favorite (not) Zach Parise had something against it. Oh well. Let’s take a look at what we learned in that first game of 2015-16.

Next: The Guenin-Barrie Pairing