Here we go, the Avalanche's biggest game to date: They face Nashville at the Pepsi Center on Friday night to close out a five-game homestand with an opportunity to move into fifth place in the Central Division and into the second wild card playoff position in the Western Conference.
The Avalanche (20-18-3, 43 points) are two points behind the Predators (19-14-7, 45 points), who have played one fewer game but also have three fewer ROW -- regulation and overtime wins (20-17), in case there is a tie at the end of the season.
Yes, the Avalanche are excited about the prospect of moving past Nashville, but they also realize this will only be the first game of the second half of the season.
"It's part of the process, it's a big game, probably our biggest game so far just because it gives us a chance to get back into the playoffs, but there are going to be several games after that," Matt Duchene said Thursday. "Let's say we win (Friday), if we lose the next game in Chicago (on Sunday) it doesn't mean really anything.
"You have to keep on building. It's a big game, but I think every game's a big game, especially in this division. It's the toughest division in the league, there's no secret there, everybody knows it."
The Avalanche will go with the same lineup they did Wednesday. Goalie Semyon Varlamov, who made 35 saves in the 4-3 overtime win against St. Louis, will start against the Predators and Sunday in Chicago. He stopped 34 shots Dec. 12 in a 3-2 win in Nashville to open a three-game road trip with St. Louis and Chicago that turned into a sweep.
"In a season there's a lot of key moments," coach Patrick Roy said. "I think (that) trip was one of the key moments in our season. Now, beating L.A. at home (on Monday), beating St. Louis, coming back late in that game and winning in overtime. These are key games for us in a way that we can build on and certainly be a more confident team."
Wednesday's win reminded Roy of his first season behind the bench, when the Avalanche often scored late goals after pulling a goalie and won games in overtime. They rallied from a 3-1 deficit, tied the game on Nathan MacKinnon's goal with 1:29 left and Varlamov on the bench, and won in overtime on Gabriel Landeskog's goal.
"Lately I would say I like our mindset," Roy said. "The last few games, when we give up a goal, we have that resilience. We want to get the next one. Yesterday was a bigger example. When you're capable of doing those things, certainly it brings a lot of confidence to the group."
The Avalanche have gone 2-1-1 in the first four games of the five-game homestand and are 8-9-3 overall at home. They've won two games in a row, are 3-2-2 in the past seven games, 8-2-2 in 12 games and 11-4-2 in 17 games.
"At the beginning of the season it was kind of a disaster," MacKinnon said. "It's exciting (now), our destiny is in our own hands. If we keep winning, we're going to be in the playoffs. It's definitely a cool feeling that we're only two (points) back. It feels like three years ago now, my first year when we won games late."
The Predators made a major trade Wednesday, sending defenseman Seth Jones to Columbus for center Ryan Johansen, who fell out of favor with Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella.
"He's a very good player, like Jones is a very good player," Roy said. "I think they're better up front, they're losing an important defenseman. The responsibility is going to change for others. But it doesn't change (the Avalanche approach to the game). I think on the power play he's going to replace Jones. They're both very good shooters, they're both capable of making great plays.
"It's (his) first game. Even when I played my first game with the Avalanche, it always takes a bit of time to adapt to a new team."
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The Avalanche have placed defenseman Brandon Gormley, who has one assist in 26 games, on waivers. He was a healthy scratch the past two games.
"It's part of the business," Roy said. "It's not something we're happy about. When some players return we're going to have to make some decisions. It gives us some flexibility."
Roy said he liked newcomer Andrew Bodnarchuk's game Wednesday. Bodnarchuk, claimed off waivers Tuesday from Columbus, played most of the game with Francois Beauchemin and logged 15:27 in ice time.
"I like his speed, I like his grit," Roy said. "I thought he moved the puck well. I think it's a good addition for us."
Defenseman Brad Stuart (back) was one of the few players to skate Thursday. Roy said Stuart had "a good day ... let's see how it goes (Friday). In this case it's one day at a time. Hopefully he'll continue to improve and be able to play shortly."
Defenseman Erik Johnson, who tweaked his knee (not the one he hurt last season) Monday against Los Angeles, didn't skate and won't play Friday but isn't expected to be out long term.