Now that the Avalanche have moved into a playoff spot, the obvious goal is to stay there, with the possibility of moving into a more secure position.
They took over the second wild card in the Western Conference on Saturday with a 5-2 win against Arizona, combined with Los Angeles' 7-2 loss to St. Louis.
My NHL.com GAME STORY.
The Avalanche have gone 4-0-3 in their past seven games and are 14-1-1 in the past 16 games at home. They have 14 games left, seven at home and seven on the road.
"A lot of people are waiting for us to fall apart," captain Gabriel Landeskog said. "I think that’s been the story all year, but we’re finding ways to win hockey games and guys are stepping up. We realize where we are and what opportunities we have, and we are trying to make the most of it.…
The Avalanche didn't practice Sunday, holding their annual charity fashion show. They leave Monday afternoon for a two-game road trip, Tuesday in Minnesota and Thursday in St. Louis.
The Avalanche have 80 points in 68 games with 35 ROW (regulation and overtime wins). The Kings have 79 points in 68 games, also with 35 ROW. The Kings won the previous meeting 2-1 in overtime, and they play two more times, March 22 at the Pepsi Center and April 4 in L.A.
"We're in a dogfight," coach Jared Bednar said. "This is essentially our playoffs. We have to play playoff hockey. I like that fact that that's the case for our group, where we're at for our team for our kids to have to fight for every inch of ice, and the importance of every play and every shift, every period, every game.
"That's something our guys need to go through at this level. They've all been through it at different levels, so I like that. What our chances are, I don't know. It depends on how we keep playing. (We have) points in seven straight (games).
"We probably stole a point the other night in Columbus we didn't deserve, but we played well enough to win (Saturday). We have to reset and get back at it. I think it's going to be a fight to the finish."
Calgary had 78 points in 69 games with 32 ROW before their home game against the New York Islanders on Sunday. St. Louis has 77 points in 68 games with 33 ROW. The Avalanche won't play the Flames again but have two left with the Blues, on Thursday in St. Louis and in the season finale April 7 at the Pepsi Center.
The Avalanche were two points behind Dallas for the first wild card before the Stars played in Pittsburgh on Sunday. Dallas had 82 points in 68 games with 34 ROW and won't play Colorado again this season.
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Will have an update after practice Monday on goalie Jonathan Bernier, who left the ice in favor of Semyon Varlamov with 7:27 to play in the third period Saturday with what Bednar said was a sore neck.
Bernier, who missed the previous 10 games -- eight to recover from a concussion -- was hit in the mask by an Oliver Ekman-Larsson shot in the second period but stayed in the game until his neck bothered him too much.
Bernier had 22 saves (Varlamov had four) and picked up his ninth consecutive home win to match the franchise record set by Quebec's Dan Bouchard in 1983-84.
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Having lost Nathan MacKinnon to a shoulder injury for eight games earlier this season, fighting Jordan Martinook in the first period wasn't the smartest thing for him to do. The Avalanche can't afford to lose their leading scorer and Hart Trophy candidate to another injury while in the thick of this playoff race.
MacKinnon had two assists to stretch his point streak to seven games (seven goals, nine assists), and he's third in the NHL scoring race with 81 points.
He started the fight after Martinook decked Mikko Rantanen to the ice with a hard -- and clean -- check.
"I'm comfortable to do that, I guess," MacKinnon said. "Guys will respect that, that I fought. I'm sure a lot of people don't expect me to. The guys' respect in this locker room means more to me than anything else. I think anybody in that position is willing to defend one of our best players. When guys take liberties on a special talent like Mikko — or anyone really — if anyone gets run over like that it’s tough to just stand there and watch.…
MacKinnon and Martinook were given fighting majors; MacKinnon got an additional roughing minor.
“I certainly don’t want Nathan MacKinnon fighting for obvious reasons,… Bednar said. “If something happens to him, he’s such a big part of our club (and) there’s too much at risk there. But I love the fact that he did fight and stood up for his teammate there. It’s part of what makes him so good, right? He’s a competitive guy, a highly competitive guy, and he didn’t like what he saw so he does that.
"As a coach, you’re just crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. I would advise him not to be doing that the rest of the year, but you know, part of that is what makes him so likeable and so good.…