Zach Parise looked comfortable in his Colorado Avalanche debut

On Monday night, the Colorado Avalanche returned from the All-Star break. They made their return to Madison Square Garden where they took on the New York Rangers.

The story from this game was the fact that Zach Parise made his Avalanche debut. This is his 4th NHL team after spending his very successful career with the New Jersey Devils, Minnesota Wild, and New York Islanders.

Parise didn't score in the contest but he looked very good. Playing on the third line with Ryan Johansen and Artturi Lehkonen, he looked comfortable.

He also looked like his speed and conditioning were where they needed to be to compete in the National Hockey League. He isn't the high-volume scorer that he once was but at 39 years old, he has a lot left to bring to this team.

Zach Parise looked very good in his Colorado Avalanche debut on Monday

Parise's game has always been predicated on his motor. Few players in the league, even now, put in the effort that he does on every shift. He is hard on the forecheck and hard to take the puck away from. That showed in this game against the Rangers who he has played against a lot in his career.

Nathan MacKinnon gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead early in the game. They carried that lead for a while until Artemin Panarin tied the game in the third period.

Eventually, the game found itself in overtime. Former first-overall pick Alexis Lafreniere scored the overtime game-winner to give the Rangers a 2-1 victory in the sudden death period.

It was a very good hockey game all around. Alexander Georgiev and Jonathan Quick, the two goaltenders in this game, played lights out. Without them playing well, neither of their teams would have had a chance to win. They each earned their team a point before the match ended in OT.

Zach Parise is taking one more crack at winning the Stanley Cup. That would put the cherry on top of a very nice career that he should be proud of. He picked a good team to do it with but there is a lot of work to be done.

Their next challenge will come across the Hudson River on Tuesday night when they take on his former team, the New Jersey Devils.