DENVER — For the first time since their inaugural season in 2000-01, the Wild have dropped their first two games in regulation.



But just like last season and the season before and the season before and the season before and the season before that … and so on and so forth, Saturday night’s aggravating 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche was only the latest example of a Wild team that brought the work ethic, created the scoring chances, controlled large portions of the game and still proved incapable of finishing when it matters.



As new general manager Bill Guerin is quickly finding out, the Wild don’t have the game-breakers it seems most others teams have, although the forward who former GM Paul Fenton said has the capability of being one had the puck on his stick inside the right faceoff circle with 45 seconds left on a six-on-five and the Wild down a goal.



Every single day in practice, all Kevin Fiala does is shoot pucks upstairs on...