One win and the Avalanche is in.
In the playoffs, that is.
If the Avalanche can knock off the Vancouver Canucks tonight at General Motors Place or the Minnesota Wild in Sunday's regular-season finale at the Pepsi Center, it will be enough to clinch no worse than the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
"They play well at home," coach Joel Quenneville said of the Canucks, who are coming off a 6-2 dismantling of Calgary on Sunday. "I think everyone in our (Northwest) Division has been picking up points at home and having a hard time on the road. But we've played well against them the last few games. It's going to be a very important game."
The Canucks, who have three games left, are in eighth place, three points behind the Avalanche and one ahead of ninth-place Nashville.
"They're going to be gunning," Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette said. "Their life's on the line and we have to make sure we match their intensity."
The Avalanche, which sits sixth in the West, wouldn't mind getting some help along the way, and not just because Peter Forsberg practiced Monday and has a good chance of playing against the Canucks after sitting out Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss in Minnesota with a nagging groin ailment.
The Avalanche also can clinch if Nashville loses any of its three remaining games in regulation. But the Predators have a relatively soft season-ending schedule: at St. Louis tonight, against the Blues at home on Thursday and at Chicago on Friday.
The Avalanche still has a remote chance of finishing first in the Northwest to earn the No. 3 seed but would have to win its final two games, the Wild lose its last two in regulation and Calgary collect no more than five points in its final three games.
In that scenario, the Avalanche would take first on the basis of having the most wins, the first tiebreaker.
Minor bumps, bruises
While Forsberg practiced, defenseman John-Michael Liles did not because of a slight groin problem. But he's expected to play against the Canucks.
Liles had been logging a heavy workload of late, playing between 20 and 251/2 minutes in 10 of 11 games before he was limited to 17:18 in ice time against the Wild.
Tough times for Smyth
Ryan Smyth has had a tough time since returning from a concussion and separated shoulder that caused him to miss six games. Since returning, he has no goals on 17 shots and four assists in eight games.
Smyth, who is in the first year of a five-year, $31.25 million contract, spent most of Sunday's game at left wing on the third line with center Tyler Arnason and rookie right wing David Jones.
"Wherever coach wants me to play, I'll play," Smyth said.
Luongo back to form
The Avalanche will face an energized Canucks goalie in Roberto Luongo, who appears to be more relaxed and back on his game after the birth of daughter Gabriella.
After getting pulled in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center, Luongo flew from Denver to his Florida home to be with his wife, Gina, who gave birth the next day.
Luongo rejoined the Canucks in Minnesota on Friday and gave up four goals on 21 shots in two periods in a 4-0 loss, then made 27 saves Sunday in the win against the Flames.
"It was a big week for me as far as games and travel and having the baby, and I was a bit drained," he told Vancouver reporters. "But a little bit of rest and everything takes care of itself."Injuries: Colorado - D Brett Clark (shoulder), RW Scott Parker (ankle) and RW Marek Svatos (knee) are out; LW Peter Forsberg (groin) and D John-Michael Liles (groin) are probable. Vancouver - D Lukas Krajicek (shoulder), D Aaron Miller (shoulder), C Brendan Morrison (knee), D Mattias Ohlund (knee) and LW Mason Raymond (knee) are out.
* Sidelight: The Avalanche has gone 5-1-1 against the Canucks this season and won five in a row by the cumulative score of 19-9, which doesn't include the goal awarded for a 3-2 shootout win Feb. 27.
* Notes: Jose Theodore will start in goal for the Avalanche for the 17th time in an 18-game stretch. . . . Colorado is 0-3-1 in its past four road games, 1-4-1 in the past six. . . . Wolski has one goal and four assists in the past five games. . . . C Tyler Arnason has one goal and no assists in eight games.
In the playoffs, that is.
If the Avalanche can knock off the Vancouver Canucks tonight at General Motors Place or the Minnesota Wild in Sunday's regular-season finale at the Pepsi Center, it will be enough to clinch no worse than the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
"They play well at home," coach Joel Quenneville said of the Canucks, who are coming off a 6-2 dismantling of Calgary on Sunday. "I think everyone in our (Northwest) Division has been picking up points at home and having a hard time on the road. But we've played well against them the last few games. It's going to be a very important game."
The Canucks, who have three games left, are in eighth place, three points behind the Avalanche and one ahead of ninth-place Nashville.
"They're going to be gunning," Avalanche forward Andrew Brunette said. "Their life's on the line and we have to make sure we match their intensity."
The Avalanche, which sits sixth in the West, wouldn't mind getting some help along the way, and not just because Peter Forsberg practiced Monday and has a good chance of playing against the Canucks after sitting out Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss in Minnesota with a nagging groin ailment.
The Avalanche also can clinch if Nashville loses any of its three remaining games in regulation. But the Predators have a relatively soft season-ending schedule: at St. Louis tonight, against the Blues at home on Thursday and at Chicago on Friday.
The Avalanche still has a remote chance of finishing first in the Northwest to earn the No. 3 seed but would have to win its final two games, the Wild lose its last two in regulation and Calgary collect no more than five points in its final three games.
In that scenario, the Avalanche would take first on the basis of having the most wins, the first tiebreaker.
Minor bumps, bruises
While Forsberg practiced, defenseman John-Michael Liles did not because of a slight groin problem. But he's expected to play against the Canucks.
Liles had been logging a heavy workload of late, playing between 20 and 251/2 minutes in 10 of 11 games before he was limited to 17:18 in ice time against the Wild.
Tough times for Smyth
Ryan Smyth has had a tough time since returning from a concussion and separated shoulder that caused him to miss six games. Since returning, he has no goals on 17 shots and four assists in eight games.
Smyth, who is in the first year of a five-year, $31.25 million contract, spent most of Sunday's game at left wing on the third line with center Tyler Arnason and rookie right wing David Jones.
"Wherever coach wants me to play, I'll play," Smyth said.
Luongo back to form
The Avalanche will face an energized Canucks goalie in Roberto Luongo, who appears to be more relaxed and back on his game after the birth of daughter Gabriella.
After getting pulled in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Avalanche at the Pepsi Center, Luongo flew from Denver to his Florida home to be with his wife, Gina, who gave birth the next day.
Luongo rejoined the Canucks in Minnesota on Friday and gave up four goals on 21 shots in two periods in a 4-0 loss, then made 27 saves Sunday in the win against the Flames.
"It was a big week for me as far as games and travel and having the baby, and I was a bit drained," he told Vancouver reporters. "But a little bit of rest and everything takes care of itself."Injuries: Colorado - D Brett Clark (shoulder), RW Scott Parker (ankle) and RW Marek Svatos (knee) are out; LW Peter Forsberg (groin) and D John-Michael Liles (groin) are probable. Vancouver - D Lukas Krajicek (shoulder), D Aaron Miller (shoulder), C Brendan Morrison (knee), D Mattias Ohlund (knee) and LW Mason Raymond (knee) are out.
* Sidelight: The Avalanche has gone 5-1-1 against the Canucks this season and won five in a row by the cumulative score of 19-9, which doesn't include the goal awarded for a 3-2 shootout win Feb. 27.
* Notes: Jose Theodore will start in goal for the Avalanche for the 17th time in an 18-game stretch. . . . Colorado is 0-3-1 in its past four road games, 1-4-1 in the past six. . . . Wolski has one goal and four assists in the past five games. . . . C Tyler Arnason has one goal and no assists in eight games.
