You have to give props to the Avalanche, who certainly haven't quit (the way a certain local NBA team has) even though their chances of getting into the playoffs are pretty much nil.
They went into Chicago on Friday and knocked off the Blackhawks 4-1 behind more exceptional goaltending from Semyon Varlamov, an effective power play (really!), three points from Tyson Barrie and another goal by Gabriel Landeskog.
"The guys showed a lot of poise out there," coach Patrick Roy told the Denver Post after practice Saturday. "They showed that they were not going to give up, and that meant a lot.…
The Avalanche (25-23-11) were seven points out of the second wild-card spot in the West on Saturday and even further behind in non-shootout wins, but at least they still care and are playing hard.
The Avalanche would need to move ahead of Dallas, Los Angeles, Minnesota and one other team -- San Jose or Winnipeg -- a nearly impossible task with only 23 games remaining.
It may be wishful thinking on their part that a playoff run is possible, but they aren't throwing in the towel and can be expected to put in the kind of effort paying customers should expect. These guys aren't going to "tank," and that's a good thing.
If nothing else, a nice run down the stretch can be used as a building block for next season, combined with whatever personnel moves are made at the trading deadline and over the summer.
The Avalanche won't skate Sunday before their game against Tampa Bay because of a 5 p.m. MT start. The Lightning isn't expected to skate either, especially after playing in Arizona on Saturday night.
The Avalanche lineup will remain the same:
FORWARDS Gabriel Landeskog - Ryan O'Reilly - Nathan MacKinnon Max Talbot - Matt Duchene - Jarome Iginla Alex Tanguay - John Mitchell - Dennis Everberg Cody McLeod - Marc-Andre Cliche - Paul Carey
DEFENSE Jan Hejda - Zach Redmond Nate Guenin - Tyson Barrie Brad Stuart - Nick Holden
GOALIES Semyon Varlamov Reto Berra