What are you going to do when the games matter?

That’s the mentality of the Avalanche front office and veterans ahead of Wednesday’s opener, where Colorado could be dressing as many as five rookies. Those five, Nikolai Kovalenko, Calum Ritchie, Ivan Ivan, Sam Malinski, and Justus Annunen, all earned their spots, but performing well in the preseason is one thing. Performing when the games mean something is a whole different ballgame.

“We’ll see,” Nathan MacKinnon said.

“Preseason is preseason, right? We all know the level is going to get jacked up significantly here,” Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland said.

Colorado’s general manager doesn’t want his team to “wait for the cavalry,” as he put it. He wants them ready to go on day one, and on day one, his team looks awfully green.

Maybe that’s not a bad thing. A little youthful exuberance never hurt.

“I like the fact that we’ve got some new blood in here and they’re hungry to be a part of what we’ve built over the last number of years,” coach Jared Bednar said.

Most of that new blood will be up front. With no Artturi Lehkonen, Valeri Nichushkin, and Gabriel Landeskog available for at least a month, the Avalanche had three spots up for grabs. As of right now, it looks like those spots have been snatched up by Kovalenko (24), Ritchie (19), and Ivan (22). The former snuck into two playoff games last spring, while the latter two have zero NHL games to their name.

It’s going to be trial by fire, but their coach doesn’t seem terribly worried right now.

“I feel pretty good about it,” Bednar said of the situation. “Ivan’s done a heck of a job. Kovalenko’s done a heck of a job. Ritchie’s really kind of coming into his own…still a work in progress, but I think we’re in a good spot to start.”

The focus, at least to start the season, will be on Kovalenko and Ritchie. The 24-year-old Kovalenko had the best camp of all the forwards trying to break through, while the 19-year-old Ritchie flashed his skill in a big way. Those two will likely start the year on opposite sides of each other with Casey Mittelstadt between them.

Kovalenko says he’s not nervous, but rather excited. He’s spent the last six years playing pro hockey in Russia and feels ready for this moment.

“I play only 200%, not less, because it’s my favorite game in the world,” he told The Denver Gazette. “First thing – work. Second thing – fun, enjoy the game. If you have a mistake, it’s OK, because everyone has a mistake.”

Kovalenko, who has spent the past two seasons playing for hockey Hall of Fame inductee Igor Larionov, was happy with his camp. His coach seemed very pleased with what he saw.

“(He’s) been really good,” Bednar said of Kovalenko on Monday. “His practices have been consistent. He’s making all the right decisions and continues to make plays and continues to challenge other team’s defenders with his feet and hanging onto pucks, so I’m confident in what he can do.”

The Avalanche put Kovalenko and Ritchie’s lockers next to each other at their practice facility, and that might have been by choice. The Russian winger says the two have been communicating a lot to be ready for Wednesday. While chatting with The Denver Gazette, Kovalenko suddenly stopped to listen in. The media had surrounded Ritchie’s stall next door and Kovalenko heard his name.

“They ask about me,” he said.

“I guess I’ll gas him up a little bit,” Ritchie joked, knowing his linemate was listening. “He’s awesome, great guy. Works super hard, wins battles all over the ice. I played with him last game and I thought it went pretty good, and hopefully we can build off that.”

There’s a lot of hype around Ritchie, and deservedly so. He’s the most exciting prospect the Avalanche have had in recent years, and although he’s raw, there are only a handful of forwards on the team who possess more talent than him.

That talent was on display in the preseason. Although he had his struggles, there were flashes of brilliance, including a highlight-reel breakaway goal where he faked that he fanned on his initial shot, leaving the net open for Ritchie to score. The vision is there, the talent is there, and the work ethic is there. Now the Avalanche will find out if he’s truly ready.

“Ritchie’s been great,” Mittelstadt said. “You can definitely see it. He can make plays. He finds openings in the offensive zone, and he can score goals. He’s got one heck of a shot.”

Bednar let the Brampton, Ontario native know that he’ll be in the lineup on Wednesday night. At that point, the teenager called his parents and siblings (brother and sister) to give them the good news, and it sounds like they’ll all be in attendance for the game.

“It’s unbelievable to share with them,” Ritchie said. “They’ve sacrificed so much for me throughout my career and to see it kind of paying back now, it’s unbelievable.”

The cavalry will eventually be back, but for now, the Avalanche have no choice but to march on. Their success in October may depend on how quickly these two rookies can adapt.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it. I think it should be a good line,” Mittelstadt said.