Avs Well Aware Of Final Two Games' Magnitude

SAN JOSE, Calif.--With only two games left in the regular season, there are several different scenarios for the Colorado Avalanche to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs. A win tonight at the San Jose Sharks will go a long way in helping the team secure a postseason berth and put pressure on the St. Louis Blues.
With the Blues' loss on Wednesday to the Chicago Blackhawks, the Avalanche remains one point ahead of its Central-Division rival. The teams have played the same number of games as one another.
St. Louis faces Chicago again on Friday to close its home-and-home series before traveling to Denver to play the Avs in the season finale on Saturday.
"We still have to win. That's the thing, we still have to take care of our business," said Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. "We've been talking about that for a long time. We kind of stumbled on the first two games of the road trip, but hopefully it helps relieve some pressure that has been on us here a little bit playing first. [St. Louis] lost last night so if we win tonight, we can put some pressure on them going into their last two games."

The Avalanche dropped the first two contests of its three-city trip in California, losing 4-3 in overtime on Sunday at the Anaheim Ducks and falling 3-1 at the Los Angeles Kings on Monday in an outing that had some funny bounces that went against them.
The final two months of the season have been a sprint of sorts for the Avs, with them playing nearly every other day. The squad got a little break this week with two days between contests, allowing the players to get a little rest before the frantic finish.
"To get that day off, and just have a little light skate yesterday, we should be energized here today," Bednar said. "Our legs should feel great and hopefully we play with a bunch of energy and passion here tonight."

Rest can be a weapon as Colorado gets ready to play another "biggest of the year" game tonight. Nearly every contest down the homestretch of the season has had that title.
"It is a really big game for us. To be honest, we've been playing big games for the last month here," said defenseman Patrik Nemeth. "Every game has been the biggest game of the year. For us, go out and improve the areas of the game that we want to improve and take care of that first before we think about anything else."
Tonight's matchup features two desperate clubs: the Avalanche trying to gain a little separation on the Blues and the Sharks aiming to secure home-ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
After winning eight in a row, San Jose has dropped its last four contests (0-4-1) and now only has a one-point edge on Anaheim and two-point lead on L.A. for second place in the Pacific Division.
"We know there are only two games left, and we can force St. Louis to win in Chicago tomorrow," said Mikko Rantanen. "It's going to be huge. Obviously, San Jose is fighting for home advantage in the playoffs, so it's a big game for them too. It's going to be a fun game, and we just have to be sharp off the bat.
"There is pressure that we put on ourselves. We're expecting to win these last two games."

The team's focus and desire to play past this weekend is apparent to Bednar. He sees a year's worth of hard work on display with how his players are acting and approaching the final three days of the regular season.
"Here we are, we have an opportunity to win two games to get into the playoffs," Bednar said. "It's something we've been working for since the season ended last year, through their summer training and training camp and the commitment they've had all year long. They've been outstanding. I want our guys to enjoy it, embrace it. It's the best time of the year."

SPECIAL TEAMS SUCCESS

If the Avalanche wants to reach the postseason, the team needs to keep doing what it's been doing on the power play and penalty kill.
Colorado has been one of the best clubs in each category this season, as it ranks 11th in the league on the man advantage (21.6 percent) and third while shorthanded (83.8 percent). That has especially been true lately, as the club has gone 5-for-10 on the power play in the last three games and has killed off all four penalties it has taken in the first two games of this road trip.

"I think everybody is buying in. I think everybody is taking pride in what they're doing," said Nemeth, one the staples on Avs' PK units. "Special teams has to be good if we want to get into the playoffs, so we have to keep doing what we're doing on the penalty kill. We have to be strong on special teams here tonight."
On the power play, a successful man advantage doesn't always have to end with a goal. Getting good looks and creating scoring opportunities can lead to more chances during even-strength play."
"Even if you don't score, you can build momentum with those scoring chances or something and that feeds off to the 5-on-5. It's a big part of the game if you want to win," Rantanen said. "Special teams is a huge part of the game nowadays. Even penalty kill can give you momentum, same with the power play. We have to be good these last two games."

LINEUP NOTES

The Avalanche is expected to use the same lineup this evening as it iced on Monday at the Los Angeles Kings, with the possible exception being on defense.
Mark Barberio was a full participant in Wednesday practice, and Bednar said following the optional morning skate that he is going to consider playing the blueliner, who has missed the last 33 games with an upper-body injury.
"I got one decision to make here after having some conversations. That would be Barberio," Bednar said. "It looks like he is getting close to be ready to play, so we'll make a decision on him before the game tonight."
Here is the Avalanche's projected lineup.