DENVER _ Barely five minutes had expired and the Wild were flailing.
The team's penalty kill was blitzed for an early Avalanche strike and just 1:27 later, Colorado tacked on another _ trapping the Wild in a two-goal hole on just nine shots.
Coach Bruce Boudreau used his timeout to settle the Wild, and the decision paid off.
In the aftermath, the Wild skated, hit and tested Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer _ chipping away until it was back to ground level.
And while that resiliency is one of the more positive takeaways in a young season, it also rang up as a missed opportunity since the Wild's valiant comeback went up in smoke when the Avalanche capitalized on a scrambling sequence before hanging on for a 4-2 win Saturday at Pepsi Center to drop the Wild to 0-2.
With 1:06 remaining in the second, and the Wild looking in control, the team's defensive posture was blown open after a swing-and-miss by Colorado's Ryan Graves left Mikko Rantanen with ample room to scoop up the loose puck and find captain Gabriel Landeskog left alone at the back post for the easy tap-in.
Before then, the Wild had the Avalanche on their heels after overcoming a poor start.
Only 23 seconds into its first power play of the game, a hooking penalty by winger Mats Zuccarello, Colorado converted when Rantanen moved from the wall to the slot untouched and wired a blistering shot through traffic and by goalie Devan Dubnyk at 4:30.
By 5:57, it was 2-0.
Avalanche newcomer Pierre-Edourard Bellemare, who joined the Central Division from the Vegas Golden Knights, was unsuccessful on a wrap-around attempt but kept on the puck, eventually lifting it over Dubnyk.
As the home crowd wailed, the Wild reset during a timeout and came back more composed.
Players picked up their pace, finished their checks and found open ice in the Colorado end. Winger Marcus Foligno and defensemen Matt Dumba and Carson Soucy were leaders in the physical department, combining for 16 hits.
Then, at 10:17, the improvement was rewarded when defenseman Ryan Suter's point shot deflected off Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson's stick and by Grubauer.
A buffet of special-teams action took over in the second, and that's where the Wild excelled.
The penalty kill snuffed out two consecutive Colorado chances, including a stretch when center Luke Kunin was without a stick.
Late in that second PK, Foligno drew a tripping penalty in the offensive zone and when the Wild gained an extra attacker, it tied it at 2.
Dumba's shot from the left side was tipped in front by winger Zach Parise 8:31 into the frame, Parise's first tally of the season after a pointless preseason. Suter earned an assist on the play for the 100th career multi-point effort.
Wild defensemen have been involved in all four goals the team has scored this season. Suter has a team-high three points, while Dumba has two.
The power play finished 1 for 4, while the Avalanche were 1 for 6.
One of those kills came in the third when the Wild was again vying for the equalizer. And despite a handful of looks, the team couldn't orchestrate another rally _ a tough what-if the team will have plenty of time to ponder since it's not back in action until Thursday in Winnipeg.
Defenseman Ryan Graves buried an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left.
Dubnyk ended up with 28 saves, and Grubauer had 29.
