Postgame Hat Trick: Avalanche 4, Wild 1

Wild.com's Dan Myers gives three takeaways from the Wild's 4-1 loss against the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center in Denver on Thursday night:

1. Zach Parise picked up right where he left off.
After scoring 12 goals over the final 18 games of the regular season last year, and then in each of the first three games of the playoffs, Parise got the Wild's first goal of the season 6:14 into the contest.
The goal was vintage Parise too.
After pressuring the Avs into a turnover, Parise made a beeline for the front of the net, where he carved out just enough space for Mikko Koivu to feed him a puck from behind the goal line. Parise re-directed the pass past Semyon Varlamov to give the Wild the early lead.

Opening-night goals are nothing new for Parise, who now has 10 in his career. He entered the night tied for second in the NHL among active players in opening night goals (nine) and tied for third in points (15).
2. Devan Dubnyk was really, really good.
After Minnesota's solid start, Colorado took control for the better part of a period and a half. Carl Soderberg scored off a turnover at 12:29 of the first and Nathan MacKinnon off the rush just past the halfway point of the game.
The Avs ran up a 32-13 advantage on the shot chart through 40 minutes, with the only thing keeping Minnesota within one shot being Dubnyk.
Among his beauties was a glove robbery of MacKinnon and a sprawling pad save on Colin Wilson, who appeared to have an open net crashing the back door.

After a couple of tough games in this building last season, Dubnyk certainly turned things around here on Thursday. His rebound control was impeccable and the glove was working early and often.
Dubnyk had no chance on either of Colorado's goals, as Soderberg fired bar down through a screen from the left dot and MacKinnon cruised through the Wild zone untouched, tapping home a pretty feed from Mikko Rantanen at the far post.
3. There really is a first time for everything.
Thursday marked the fifth time the Wild has opened its season against the Avalanche and the first time it has been unsuccessful. Previous wins by Minnesota came in 2006, 2013, 2014 and here in Denver in 2015.
Colorado turned the tables on Thursday, improving to 27-8-4 all time in its franchise history in home openers, the second-best win percentage in the League behind ... Minnesota, which will have its own home opener Saturday night against the Vegas Golden Knights in St. Paul.