Though they won the game, the Colorado Avalanche defense left a lot to be desired last night. The team gave up a lot of scoring chances and the Rangers possessed the puck for most of the third period. Luckily Semyon Varlamov was outstanding and was able to steal the game for the Avs.
It looks like Saturday afternoon, the Avs will go with a different lineup than in the opener. Nikita Zadorov confirmed that he will be in the lineup against New Jersey after being a healthy scratch last night. This seems to make it clear that the team was trying to send a distinct message by putting him in the press box for the first game of the season.