The Colorado Avalanche gave Pavel Francouz a start any goalie would gladly take, an early 1-0 lead. The Czech netminder returned the favor with a strong performance in the third period.

Francouz's North American debut on Monday night was a success as he helped the Avs win their first game of the preseason with a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena.

The Olympic goaltender for the Czech Republic at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games made 28 saves in his first-ever NHL preseason game and held off a strong push by the defending Western Conference champions in the last 20 minutes of regulation. Francouz stopped 10 shots in the final frame and smothered the Golden Knights' rally by not allowing any pucks to get past him in the last 9:41.

The Colorado Avalanche picked up its first win of the preseason on Monday night with a 5-3 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Colorado delivered the Golden Knights their first loss of the exhibition season after holding off a third-period rally. Jake Bischoff and Brad Hunt scored in the first 10:19 of the final frame for Vegas, but Avs goaltender Pavel Francouz didn't allow another shot to get past him in his NHL preseason debut.

The Colorado Avalanche announced Monday that the club has reassigned one player.

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--Patrik Nemeth will play in his first preseason game of the new campaign tonight after being a limited participant at the beginning of the Colorado Avalanche's training camp.

The defenseman had offseason shoulder surgery, and general manager Joe Sakic said in the summer he was unsure if Nemeth would be ready for the start of the regular season. The Stockholm, Sweden, native wore a red non-contact jersey for the start of camp on Sept. 14, but he has been a full participant in the club's skates since Thursday.

The Colorado Avalanche faces the Vegas Golden Knights for the second and final time during the preseason on Monday at 8 p.m. MT at T-Mobile Arena.

The two teams squared off in the Avs' exhibition opener last Tuesday where Colorado fell 5-1. Ryan Graves netted the only goal that night for the Avalanche, with Tyson Barrie and Matt Calvert picking up assists.

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--The preseason is a chance for teams to work on their systems, for veteran players to get back into game form and for prospects to see what it is like to play NHL hockey.

The Colorado Avalanche got back to work on Sunday at Family Sports Center after it fell 7-0 at the Minnesota Wild on Saturday in the team's second exhibition contest of its six-game slate. The team was split into two groups at practice, the first unit practicing for an hour and a half. The second bunch was on the ice for an hour, as it was the group that played at Minnesota.

The Colorado Avalanche fell 7-0 to the Minnesota Wild in the club's second preseason game on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Avalanche went 5-for-6 on the penalty kill and could not convert on three power-play opportunities. Goaltender Philipp Grubauer was between the pipes for the entirety of the contest and made 26-of-33 saves.

The Colorado Avalanche continues its preseason action against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center at 4 p.m. MT on Saturday.

It is the second game of Colorado's exhibition slate and the first of two preseason matchups with its Central Division rival. The Avs and Wild will battle again at Pepsi Center on Sept. 28.

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--The Colorado Avalanche will get its first look at Philipp Grubauer on Saturday as the team's new goaltender will get the start at the Minnesota Wild in the Avs' second preseason game of the new campaign.

"It's going to be exciting, first time strapping on an (Avalanche) jersey," Grubauer said following the team's practice on Friday at Family Sports Center. "That's going to be awesome."

CENTENNIAL, Colo.--With the first preseason game of the 2018-19 season in the books, the Colorado Avalanche got back to work at practice on Thursday.

The roster was split into two groups and each unit practiced for 75 minutes with the session split between the two sheets of ice at Family Sports Center. The first group had 11 forwards, seven defensemen and two goalies while the second group had 12 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders.