Colorado Avalanche drop opener to the Minnesota Wild in St. Paul, Minnesota
By Andrew Dill
Oct 9, 2014; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Colorado Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) reacts to a goal scored by Minnesota Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon (not pictured) during the second period at Xcel Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports
What in the world? That’s the idea or thought many Colorado Avalanche fans probably said when watching their beloved Avs’ get manhandled Thursday night. Colorado was unprepared to say the least, turning the puck over numerous times in the neutral zone. Nothing says unprepared like getting outshot by the opponent, 48-16. Colorado went on to drop their season opener, 5-0 in the hostile environment at Xcel Energy Center.
0. 103. Final. 5. 98
The Wild jumped on the Avs’ late in the first period, putting up their first goal of the 2014-15′ season. Jason Pominville put one past Avs’ goaltender Semyon Varlamov — who didn’t receive any help from the defense Thursday night. Pominville’s first goal of the season came off the assists from Mikael Granlund and Ryan Suter. Minnesota put up 17 shots on net during the first, while the Avs’ only mustered five.
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The second period, which was Colorado’s Achilles heal last season, was a complete disaster. Four minutes into the second, forward Jared Spurgeon collected his first goal of the season, on the assists from Zach Parise and Jason Pominville. Less than three minutes later, it was a complete snowball effect. Zach Parise squeaked one past Varlamov, making it 3-0 Wild.
Nino Niederreiter and Ryan Suter spelled the end of Semyon Varlamov’s night, each recording a goal during the final seven minutes of the second period. Avalanche back-up goal, Reto Berra, spelled Varlamov in the third period, saving all ten shots he faced.
Colorado just manufactured just 16 shots on net due to their sloppy defensive play and puck control. Avs’ were led by Dennis Everberg in the shot department with a total of three shots. Gabriel Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, and Jarome Iginla didn’t record a shot on net.
The Colorado Avalanche (0-1) return to action Saturday night at home, facing none-other than the Minnesota Wild. Puck-drop is scheduled for 9:00 PM EST, 7:00 PM MST.