In Game 1 of the 82-game regular season started Thursday, the Avalanche looked as if it could win them all. That won’t happen, of course, but the Avs began the season the way they and many others expected.
Considered one of the NHL’s top five teams, according to Las Vegas and others, Colorado looked sharp in all areas in defeating the Calgary Flames — the defending Western Conference regular-season champions — 5-3 before a sold-out crowd at the Pepsi Center.
It was Colorado’s fifth-straight victory over Calgary dating back to last season. In the playoffs last spring, the No.