For now, the Avalanche are out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference because of their 6-3 loss Sunday in Chicago.
They have more regulation and overtime wins (21-17) than Nashville, but the Predators have played one fewer game, so they're back in the second wild card position even though both teams have 45 points.
That can change Tuesday when the Avalanche play Tampa Bay at the Pepsi Center to open a two-game homestand while the Predators continue their four-game road trip with a game in Chicago.
The Avalanche will need to play a lot better against the Lightning than they did against the Blackhawks, who got two goals apiece from Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa, with one each from Brandon Mashinter and Jonathan Toews.
The Avalanche were awful defensively, especially after Matt Duchene scored twice to pull them within 3-2 halfway through the second period. Goalie Semyon Varlamov got the hook after giving up a power-play goal to Kane with 7:35 left in the period. He allowed four goals on 20 shots.
Calvin Pickard gave up second-period goals to Toews and Hossa, and finished with 13 saves on 15 shots. Nathan MacKinnon closed out the scoring with 4:58 to go in the third period.
I suppose the Avalanche were due for a stinker against the Hawks after winning the five previous games in the United Center, including the 3-0 win on Dec. 15 when Varlamov made 29 saves and Kane's 26-game scoring streak ended. Chicago won 4-3 in overtime in Denver on New Year's Eve. The Hawks are on a seven-game winning streak.
Beat the Lightning on Tuesday and it's just a bump in the road, but the Avalanche really need to win that game, and again Thursday against New Jersey.
Roy told the Denver Post's Terry Frei after the game that he was planning to start Pickard on Tuesday but changed his mind by giving Varlamov a "rest" by taking him out when he did. So Varlamov will start against the Lightning, his seventh start in a row.
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Defensemen Erik Johnson (knee) and Brad Stuart (back) didn't practice Monday. Johnson, who was injured Jan. 4 against the Kings, will miss his fourth game in a row. Stuart hasn't played since Nov. 10 in Philadephia.
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After his well-chronicled slow start with one goal in October, Duchene has reached the 20-goal mark for the fifth time in seven NHL seasons. His 21 goals in 43 games matches last season's total, which he did while playing in all 82 games.
Duchene had a career-high 27 goals in 2010-11, his second in the league. He failed to score 20 in 2011-12 (14 in 58 games) and in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season (17 in 47 games).
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Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie was named the NHL's third star of the week after collecting three goals and three assists in four games. He had a career-high four points (two goals, two assists) in last Monday's 4-1 win against Los Angeles, an assist in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win against St. Louis and the game-winning goal Friday in the Avalanche's 5-3 win against Nashville.
Barrie is the sixth-leading scorer among defensemen in the league with 29 points (seven goals, 22 assists) in 39 games.
Washington forward Alex Ovechkin and Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek are the first and second stars, respectively. Ovechkin had five goals in four games, including his 500th and 501st career goals Sunday against Ottawa. Mrazek went 3-0-0 with one shutout, a 0.67 goals-against average and .978 save percentage.