Colorado Avalanche Game Day: a win would be nice

The Colorado Avalanche will face the Minnesota Wild this afternoon on the road. Colorado has gone 0-2 to start the preseason with four games to go before the real thing. The team hasn’t quite figured itself out as a group, but there have been some bright spots from individuals, especially the newcomers.

In the game against Dallas a few nights ago, players like Nazem Kadri and JT Compher really stood out offensively, while on defense the likes of Calle Rosen showed their poise and professionalism. As for the younger players, it seems the team’s latest first round picks are still trying to find their feet in the NHL. A lot of them will be in the lineup tonight against Minnesota, looking for a better result.

The Avs, who have sent much of their AHL and fringe NHL talent will be facing a largely NHL roster so this game will go one of a few ways. One, the Avs get run over by a much more talented team. Two, the Wild’s veterans won’t exactly put up much of a fight as they’ll care more about Game 83 (if they make it) than Game -4. Three, the Wild show up to play and so do the kids, providing us with a great reference to see how far the kids have come and who can swim in the NHL.

We’ll have lineups closer to game time, but for now we know that Pavel Francouz will be starting in goal and will play the full game.