Fitting how the Minnesota Wild play the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues the first two games of the 2015-16 season.
Vanquished foes of postseasons past remind us of their promise, from skating out of the Rockies with an overtime Game 7 victory in 2014 to taking out favored Central Division champion St. Louis last April.
They also emphasize the Wild's limitations, first-round triumphs that set up second-round pratfalls against the superior Chicago Blackhawks, who have eliminated Minnesota each of the past three years.
Chicago is an unavoidable nemesis if the Wild want to harden their playoff bona fides.