Wild Warmup: Minnesota at Colorado

The essentials

DENVER -- The regular season begins for the Wild at the same place the preseason concluded last week, as Minnesota plays the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on Thursday.
The Wild won just two of its seven preseason contests, but each came with a lineup that was more closely constructed to one which will take the ice in Denver.
"It's game one and we're all excited," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau. "Let's hope we're all ready to play. I know game one last year, and even game two ... not that we weren't ready, but we didn't have the way we wanted to play, I don't think, quite down."

Boudreau said with another year in of his system under their belts and a roster that's largely intact from a 101-point season a year ago, he doesn't expect similar challenges this time around.
Minnesota didn't change much during the offseason, but two of its additions -- Matt Hendricks and Eric Fehr -- have extensive knowledge of Boudreau's systems from their time playing under him in Washington.
The Wild traded defenseman Gustav Olofsson to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, getting down to its final roster before the opener. Nate Prosser will serve as the club's seventh defenseman while Hendricks, Fehr and JT Brown will be competing for ice time next to Marcus Foligno on the team's fourth line.

"I think when everybody is going we'll definitely have more options," Boudreau said.
Devan Dubnyk is expected to start in goal for the Wild. He posted a 2.52 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage in 60 games (59 starts) last season.
Over the past three seasons, Dubnyk ranks third in the NHL in wins (107), second in minutes played (11,069), and fifth in both save percentage and goals against average among goaltenders with at least 6,000 minutes played (.920, 2.36).
For Colorado, Semyon Varlamov will get the nod between the posts. Varlamov, who will share the net with newcomer Philip Grubauer this season, is returning from a lower-body injury which cost him significant time down the stretch last spring. Varlamov had a 2.68 goals against and a .920 save percentage in 51 games (47 starts) before the injury.
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Last season notwithstanding, Minnesota has had success historically on opening night, posting a 9-6-2 record in season lid-lifters, including a 4-2-1 mark in its past seven overall.
Thursday will mark the fifth time in franchise history the Wild has opened its season against the Avalanche. Minnesota is 4-0 in those contests, including a 5-4 victory at Pepsi Center three years ago.
Related:
- Season preview: Now healthy, Wild aims for new heights - Boudreau's sole focus: Bringing a Stanley Cup to Minnesota