The Avalanche embark on its Stanley Cup defense with 82 regular season games on the 2022-23 schedule. Here is a closer look at the team’s five most intriguing matchups before the playoffs begin, listed in chronological order.

AVALANCHE AT FLAMES (OCT. 13)

Colorado wastes no time for its reunion with former second-line center Nazem Kadri. The Avs’ second game of the season is in Calgary where a sea of red-clad fans will be eager to cheer against the Stanley Cup champions. Kadri is expected to play a significant role for the Flames after signing a seven-year, $49-million contract in Calgary. Kadri was certainly beloved in Colorado for his Stanley Cup playoff heroics with the Avs. Watching him on an opposing team — expected to compete for the Pacific Division title — will be strange for Avalanche fans.

AVALANCHE VS. BLUE JACKETS (NOV. 4-5)

Call it a two-for-one overseas special. The Avalanche will play twice at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland, against the Blue Jackets as part of the NHL’s Global Series. It will be especially memorable for two prominent Finnish players on Colorado’s roster: Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen. Columbus is one of the more interesting teams in the league after signing Calgary forward Johnny Gaudreau in free agency. The NHL is wise to showcase its game across the world considering its reach with so many international players.

AVALANCHE VS. RED WINGS (JAN. 16)

This classic NHL rivalry isn’t what it used to be after the Red Wings left for the Eastern Conference in 2013 league realignment. Detroit isn’t guaranteed to be on the schedule every year. That’s exactly why you should roll into Ball Arena with your vintage “RED WINGS SUCK” t-shirt and help revive the good old days when goalies weren’t immune from fighting. Detroit is in a rebuilding phase compared to the defending champs. The Avs should be heavily favored. Even more reason to make this a must-watch game on the schedule.

AVALANCHE VS. LIGHTNING (FEB. 14)

Get ready for an epic rematch of the Stanley Cup finals. This is the second game of a home-and-away series played over five days. Prominent NHL analysts expect the Avalanche and Lightning to once again be title contenders. Tampa Bay must replace two key pieces of its championship teams (forward Ondrej Palat and defenseman Ryan McDonagh), but it returns arguably the league’s top goalie in Andrei Vasilevskiy and elite forwards. The Lightning will be motivated to prove they’re still NHL royalty despite getting knocked off the top by Colorado last season.

AVALANCHE VS. OILERS (APRIL 11)

The two highest-paid players in the league — Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon ($12.6M AAV) and Edmonton’s Connor McDavid ($12.5M AAV) — meet up in the second-to-last game of the regular season. Let’s hope the Avalanche and Oilers are still in a tight chase for the top seed in the Western Conference. That would make for supreme drama at a point when many teams are resting up for the playoffs. The Oilers are likely the biggest challengers to Colorado’s quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.