The Avalanche lost 3-1 to the Kings last night in Los Angeles.
Perhaps just as important, the Blues lost.
Yes, perhaps despite themselves so far on this road trip, the Avs are continuing to inch closer to the playoffs for the first time since 2014 thanks to a suddenly cold St. Louis team that had recorded a point in the standings for seven consecutive games from March 17-30, with six victories during that stretch. But the Blues saw that streak snapped Saturday with a puzzling 6-0 loss at Arizona, the Western Conference’s worst team, and again Monday, 4-2, against a divisional champion Washington squad with little to play for.
The Avs have one game remaining on this West Coast swing (Thursday at San Jose) before hosting St. Louis on Saturday in the regular-season finale in a showdown looks to have the environment of a Game 7. All indications are that the winner of that matchup will take the final wild-card spot, and the loser will stay home — but thatap not guaranteed.
The relevant teams remaining in the Western Conference playoff hunt are Los Angeles (96 points), Anaheim (95), Colorado (93) and St. Louis (92). Whether itap the Ducks or Kings, one is guaranteed the final divisional spot out of the Pacific, the other (most likely) is a wild-card team. That leaves the Blues and Avs fighting for the other spot, and St. Louis has the easier path.
St. Louis (43-30-6) has three games remaining (thatap six possible points), with two of those against Chicago, a team eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago. A sweep of the Blackhawks would spell bad news for Colorado. Should the Avs enter Saturday two or three points (meaning a regulation loss or OT loss at the Sharks) behind the Blues as result of STL sweeping Chicago, Colorado will be unable to catch St. Louis in the standings, even with a regulation win at the Pepsi Center. In that scenario, the Blues would win the tiebreaker because they would own more regulation-plus-overtime wins on the season.
Should that be the case, the Avs could potentially take a wild-card spot from the Ducks, but that would mean Anaheim failing to pick up a point in its final three games (vs. Minnesota on Wednesday, vs. Dallas on Friday, at Arizona on Saturday).
There are a couple of other scenarios that could play out, and Colorado could certainly beat San Jose on Thursday (the Avalanche is 2-0 vs. the Sharks this year) and control its own destiny. But no matter what, St. Louis sweeping its rival this week would be bad news for the Avs, whose playoff hopes are suddenly looking more grim.
— , The Denver Post
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Scoreboard
NCAA Hoops: Villanova 79, Michigan 62
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MLB: Rockies 7, Padres 4
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NHL: Kings 3, Avalanche 1
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Must-Read
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Su’a Cravens ready for “a whole new world” with the Broncos
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Quick Hits
+ Can Chad Kelly be in the mix vs. Paxton Lynch if the Broncos don’t draft a QB? Mark Kiszla tackles that question in the Lunch Special.
+ Colorado Avalanche riding backup goalie Jonathan Bernier for final playoff push.
+ Kyle Freeland is counting on new curveball to make him a more versatile pitcher for the Colorado Rockies.
+ Our new preps power rankings are out! Here are the top 10 4A and 5A boys baseball, girls soccer and boys lacrosse teams in Colorado.
+ After their OT win against Milwaukee, the Nuggets now control their own playoff destiny.
+Broncos’ 2018 offseason workout schedule is set. And it’s all right here.
+Are college athletics compatible with academics? CU’s Tad Boyle to weigh in on Thursday panel.
+Beware of the postseason potential of Colorado high school baseball teams that take early lumps out-of-state.
By The Numbers
31
The number of points Villanova sixth man Donte DiVincenzo scored in the NCAA Tournament championship game. He was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four.
Parting Shot
Von Miller and Emmanuel Sanders scare Broncos fans on April Fools’ Day by saying they’re leaving
Broncos fans had a rude awakening Sunday when Von Miller and Emmanuel Sanders announced on Instagram that they were leaving the team.Read More…
Get in Touch
If you see something thatap cause for question or have a comment, thought or suggestion, email me at dboniface@denverpost.com or tweet me .
