• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Resources
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • NHL Rumors
  • THW Podcast
  • NHL Prospects
  • Columns
  • NWHL
  • More…
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • Long Read
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
    • Fantasy Hockey
Home
Colorado Avalanche

Opening Night Crucial for Colorado

By Sebastian Noble October 8th, 2015

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Yes it has arrived, opening night for the Colorado Avalanche. The team will be facing off against none other than their biggest rival in recent years, the Minnesota Wild.

As far as opening nights are concerned, it doesn’t get any better than this for Colorado. New faces, new excitement, and a fierce rivalry. Tonight would be a perfect time to show the league what they are about.

Opening Night Lineup

Players to keep an eye out on tonight will be newly acquired Nikita Zadorov and rookie Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen, selected 10th overall, is one of only four players from the 2015 draft to make their respective NHL teams.

Though of course it’s not just about the new boys. You want to keep an eye on everybody, especially in the first game of the season.

The Avalanche will be looking for rebound seasons from their star centers Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon(notice MacKinnon back at center.) While also hoping for Erik Johnson and Tyson Barrie to keep their form from last year and possibly even improve on it.

View image | gettyimages.com

Goaltending will be in good hands as Semyon Varlamov should continue to shine in net as he has, and should see improvement this season with a much better defense in front of him.

Borna Rendulic wil be very intriguing to watch, he became the first Croatian born player to score in the NHL last season before succumbing to injury. He has skill and can read the play well, he has played himself onto the team yet again, let’s hope we see a full healthy season out of Rendulic.

Colorado’s lineup isn’t all kids, and veterans like Jerome Iginla, Alex Tanguay, and Francois Beauchemin will be just as excited for this one. Here are the projected lines, according to Patrick Roy, who spoke with the media yesterday.

  1. Landeskog – MacKinnon – Tanguay
  2. Comeau – Duchene – Iginla
  3. Rantanen – Soderberg – Rendulic
  4. McLeod – Mitchell – Skille

Defense

  1. Beauchemin – Johnson
  2. Guenin – Barrie
  3. Zadorov – Gormley/Stuart/Holden

Goaltending

  1. Varlamov
  2. Berra

Healthy Scratches = Mikhail Grigorenko, X*, X*
*The two X’s are there for Gormley, Stuart, or Holden, pending Patrick Roy’s decision.  

A Record on the Line

Not only will tonight’s game mean so much for all the obvious reasons, there’s an added bonus attached as well. The two teams in NHL history with the highest points percentage in season openers just happen to be the Avalanche and Wild.

Season Openers: Highest Points Percentage, NHL History pic.twitter.com/NNdfdlsg34

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) October 7, 2015

An impressive statistic, one Colorado would love to take hold of, especially at the expense of the Wild.

Fast Start A Must

View image | gettyimages.com

With last season starting off with two losses during a home and home series versus the Wild, the Avalanche will want some redemption, that is certain. With all the new faces coming in however, the team will need to stay calm and play smart hockey tonight.

Not only would this be a big victory to start the season against a division rival, it will also get that Wild monkey off Colorado’s back. Their slow start last year, coupled with record injuries ultimately deflated their season.

This year, starting tonight, the Avs must take advantage of this home opener to boost them into a nice start of this new era in Colorado.

Let the puck drop!

  • Tags
  • Erik Johnson
  • Matt Duchene
  • Mikko Rantanen
  • Nathan MacKinnon
  • Nikita Zadorov
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Facebook Comments

Our Hockey Podcast
hockey podcast
Bruce’s Picks
2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

2019 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker

2296
Recent Posts
Feb 22nd 8:25 PM
NHL Rumors

Analyzing Wayne Simmonds’ Value

Feb 22nd 8:15 PM
Anaheim Ducks

Ryan Miller: Winningest U.S.-Born Goalie

Feb 22nd 5:55 PM
Column

NHL News & Notes: McDavid, Duchene & More

Feb 22nd 5:30 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Connor McDavid Suspended For Two Games

Feb 22nd 5:22 PM
News

Capitals Extend Jensen

Feb 22nd 4:00 PM
Calgary Flames

Flames Find Chemistry with Upgraded Depth

Feb 22nd 3:10 PM
New Jersey Devils

Devils’ Schneider Returning to Form

Feb 22nd 2:55 PM
Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers’ Stadium Series: 5 Things to Watch For

Feb 22nd 2:39 PM
Detroit Red Wings

Capitals Acquire Jensen

Feb 22nd 12:41 PM
Columbus Blue Jackets

NHL Rumor: Duchene In Means Panarin Could Be Out

Stay in Touch
Contact Us

Via our Newsletters
RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Our Partners
HFBoards

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

Join over 18 000 Subscribers of our free bi-weekly Newsletter.

© The Hockey Writers 2018. All rights reserved.
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • Search THW
  • NHL Rumors
  • The Goalie Page
  • Atlantic Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Metropolitan Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Dallas Stars
    • Minnesota Wild
    • Nashville Predators
    • St Louis Blues
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • Pacific Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Vegas Golden Knights
    • Vancouver Canucks
  • Selections From Our Archives
  • Podcast
  • Prospects
  • NHL Salary Cap Information
  • Join Our Team