"Win or lose, Peter Mueller's return to the Avalanche lineup was going to be triumphant. The hard-luck young forward donned his No. 88 sweater for the first time in 42 games Thursday, after missing all of last season with a concussion and suffering continuing head problems after playing in the first three games in October.

In a 3-2 overtime loss against the Nashville Predators?, Mueller played on the Paul Stastny-centered line, with TJ Galiardi, and nearly scored late in the second period on a tap-in bid from the goalmouth off a Galiardi centering pass. "