Thirteen games are on tap for the Avalanche this month, including 10 against Western Conference opponents and eight in the Central Division. February’s push for the playoffs will be fabulous or forgetful, with much to be determined by how Colorado fares against the Dallas Stars.
The Avs and Stars — tied with 53 points, four behind the West’s eighth and final playoff slot — meet three times this month, beginning Tuesday night at Dallas.
“It’s a big one,” Avs center Matt Duchene said Monday after practice. “We know what’s at stake. We know how big a game it is, and how big they are every night right now. We’re fighting to get into a playoff spot against a team that’s in the race with us.”
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Colorado hosts the Stars on Feb. 14 and plays again at Dallas on Feb. 27. The teams’ final meeting will be just days before the NHL’s March 2 trade deadline, at which time both will know if they’re buyers or sellers.
Colorado and Dallas are chasing two wild-card slots along with Minnesota (52 points) and Los Angeles (54), with each trying to catch and overtake Vancouver and Calgary, both at 57 going into Monday.
The Avs play the Wild twice this month, and again March 8 at Minnesota. Colorado, which hosts Detroit on Thursday, begins a two-game divisional trip Saturday at Minnesota.
“Just a big week,” Avs winger Alex Tanguay said. “It’s a matter of getting points. Dallas is in the same situation as us. It’s a four-point game. We’re all battling for the same points, and to deny the other team those points.”
The Avalanche went 7-3-3 in January, including 5-1 at home.
“We’re playing good hockey right now. It didn’t come as easy, probably, as we would have liked it to early on,” Duchene said. “It’s been a grind and we’ve battled through, just showed our character to stay in it.
“I’ve been on teams where you’ve gone through (bad) stretches and we just crumbled as a group. This year, it’s not like that at all. Everyone is pushing forward and making good things happen.”
The Avs are coming off a 1-0-1, home-and-home stretch against Nashville, losing 4-3 in overtime before winning 3-0 in Denver.
“I really like how the team played the last two games against Nashville. I thought the team played some sound hockey,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We were smart in our decision-making, solid in our own end. Offensively, I thought our forecheck was good.”
Mike Chambers: mchambers@denverpost.com or
COLORADO AT DALLAS
6:30 p.m. Tuesday, ALT; 104.3 FM
Spotlight on John Klingberg: Dallas’ rookie defenseman from Sweden had two goals and a career-high four points Saturday in a 5-2 victory over Winnipeg, giving him six points (three goals) in his past two games. Klingberg’s nine goals this season are a record for a first-year Stars defenseman and are the most among NHL rookie defensemen. Klingberg, a fifth-round Stars draft pick in 2010, is Dallas’ fifth-leading scorer with 24 points, despite playing in only 35 games.
NOTEBOOK
Avalanche: Semyon Varlamov will start in goal Tuesday. … Winger Jarome Iginla, who has a team-high 16 goals, was held out of practice Monday for precautionary reasons. He has a bruised leg, the result of blocking a shot in Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Nashville. Iginla is expected to play against the Stars. … Defenseman Stefan Elliott is scheduled to be Colorado’s only scratch Tuesday. … Winger Alex Tanguay will play with a bandaged left hand, just a bruise from blocking a shot against Nashville. … Colorado is 2-0 vs. Dallas this season, winning 5-2 and 4-3 in Denver.
Stars: They scored a season-high four power-play goals against Winnipeg on Saturday, finishing 4-of-8, and have scored with the man advantage in their past three games. They are 7-for-16 (44 percent) over that span. … Forward Valeri Nichushkin (hip) and defenseman Patrik Nemeth (arm) are out, but forward Erik Cole is close to returning after missing three games with an upper-body injury. Cole practiced Monday at left wing with center Jason Spezza and right winger Ales Hemsky.
Mike Chambers, The Denver Post
