With the first look at the Colorado Avalanche in preseason action, the roster was anything but set in stone. The game against the Minnesota Wild revealed the team’s strengths and weaknesses, but it was hard to know who would perform well under in-game pressure.
Ultimately, the Avalanche dropped the game 4–3, allowing Minnesota to score three goals in the third period.
Going into the contest, Minnesota’s Jesper Wallstedt was going to be a tough goalie to score on. As one of the top goalie prospects in the league, the Avalanche had their work cut out for them.
In the first period, Colorado was ready to step up to the challenge. All lines were locked in and focused, looking cohesive. Only 4:10 into the first period, a pass from Fredrik Olofsson to Joel Kiviranta put the Avalanche ahead on the board.
And that’s a goal! Kiviranta gets the #Avs on the board@TheRinkColorado #GoAvsGo
— Savvy Rafkin (@savvyrafkin) September 24, 2023
While aggressive play seemed to pay off, the Avalanche stacked up 18 penalty minutes. Leaving the team shorthanded allowed the Wild to capitalize. Sam Malinski spent the most time in the box, owning eight of the 18 minutes.
The Wild could not take advantage of the penalties by Henry Bowlby, Tomas Tatar and Saige Weinstein in the first period to even the score.
By the second period, the proactive play became a disadvantage. Malinski, Jack Johnson and Corey Schueneman committed the first three penalties of the period but were later followed by two from their opponents.
Unlike the first period, sloppy play became apparent, and a power play became the perfect scoring opportunity for Minnesota to get past Justus Annunen to tie the score at 1–1.
The rest of the period remained scoreless.
Heading into the third period, the Avalanche cleaned up the penalties, but it was not enough to keep Minnesota away from offensive momentum. After a goal from the Wild snuck past Arvid Holm, a pass from Ryan Sandelin to Bowlby tied the game back up at 2–2.
Two more Minnesota tallies put the Avalanche behind, and with nine seconds left in the last leg of the game, Riley Tufte put the final goal on the board to trim the score to 4–3.
Preseason is for learning, and the Avalanche have a lot to work with, but their time is limited. All eyes are on the coaching staff to see what adjustments will be made to produce a successful lineup.
With inevitable roster changes being made, Monday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights will demonstrate how the players’ performance affects the game’s result.