EDMONTON, Alberta — Tuesday night’s 3-2 loss marked the eighth one-goal defeat this season for the Avalanche in regulation.
Colorado came to Edmonton with a 17-7-2 record in games decided by a single goal this season.
The game against the Oilers also was the fourth one-goal game in the last five outings for Colorado.
Knocking on the door. Despite the loss, the Avalanche remained just a single point out of the eighth (and final) playoff slot in the NHL’s Western Conference.
The Avs’ 54 points have them hot on the heels of the eighth-place Minnesota Wild, which lost 5-4 on Tuesday at home to the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche has an opportunity to leapfrog the Wild on Thursday in Denver. Colorado will be opening a four-game homestand.
Big minutes. Defenseman Kyle Quincey once again played a big role on the back end for coach Joe Sacco, logging 23:58 of ice time to lead the Avalanche in that category.
The game marked the 40th time this season that Quincey has played at least 20 minutes. The third-year Colorado player was a bright spot on an otherwise disappointing night for his team.
Still one away. A career-high 15th win has proven elusive for Semyon Varla- mov. The Avalanche netminder is 0-3 since securing his 14th win of the season Jan. 6 in a 4-0 win at home over the Chicago Blackhawks. Varlamov also had 15 victories in the 2009-10 season with the Washing- ton Capitals. Evan Daum, Special to The Denver Post
