Mitchell (head) christened his return from injured reserve Thursday against the Senators with a shorthanded goal in the first period. Mitchell saw 13:02 of ice time in his season debut, winning eight of his 14 faceoffs. He began the game on the Avs' fourth line, but it didn't take long for coach Patrick Roy to elevate him up to the third line by game's end. Though not a prominent scorer, Mitchell has been able to deliver a goal in his first game of the season for three years running.