"It feels like every night you look, the teams that we're battling against are winning," said Colorado defenseman Erik Johnson. "So, we just have to worry about our game and if we take care of that, we'll be in good shape."
The Avalanche holds the first wild-card position in the Western Conference with 86 points, but the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings have the same amount of points and the Dallas Stars (84 points) and St. Louis Blues are close behind (83 points).
A win tonight at United Center against the division-rival Chicago Blackhawks will give Colorado a little breathing room in the standings, even if it's just for one day.
The Avs are 7-1-3 in their last 11 games and 1-0-1 this year versus the Blackhawks. Colorado lost 2-1 in overtime on March 2 when the two clubs last met but won 6-3 in the first meeting on Oct. 28.
After winning three Stanley Cups in the last eight years, Chicago is having a down season in 2017-18. The Blackhawks are last in the seven-team Central Division with 69 points (30-34-9) and a loss this evening will officially eliminate the club from the postseason.
However, ending any slim playoff hopes the Hawks have won't be an easy task for the Avalanche.
"They are still a really good team and proud team," Johnson said of Chicago. "Obviously one of the best teams of the last decade. They've been a powerhouse every year, so it's a lot of fun to come into this building and play against these guys. They are still a great team. There are no easy games ever, and this is another good test and chance to keep climbing the standings."
The Blackhawks still have Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews driving their offense, and rookie Alex DeBrincat has been a bright spot for the team. DeBrincat is tied for second among NHL rookies in goals with 25 and had his third three-tally game of the season in a 5-4 overtime loss on Sunday versus St. Louis, setting the franchise record for the most rookie hat tricks in a campaign.
"It's a dangerous team. These guys can score still," said Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar. "They got a bunch of weapons up front. They got a lot of help in the backend in that regard, pushing the pace and being up and involved in the attack. For me, No. 1 will be to take care of the rush. We have to make sure that we're playing the right way, reloading above pucks, tracking the puck hard, setting tight gaps, so we take care of the rush and don't give them much room to work and then get back to numbers in the D-zone coverage and close things out quickly."
Colorado is coming off a 5-1 victory against the Detroit Red Wings at Pepsi Center on Sunday and is on just a one-game trip before returning home for four of its next five contests.
Johnson made his return to the lineup versus Detroit after missing 13 games and four weeks with an upper-body injury. The Avs' minute-munching blueliner eased back into the contest by only playing 19:52 while delivering two hits and two shot attempts.
"It was really fun to come back, especially to come back with a nice win over an old rival. It is especially good for the fans to see," Johnsons said. "For me, it's good to come back. I didn't know if I would be able to. I'm glad I'm feeling good, and I can help the boys out and continue on our playoff push. It's been some fun hockey."
Colorado has done a good job of creating offense during its 6-1-3 run. Since Feb. 26, the squad is tied for the league lead in goals for (44) and has the best goal differential (+20).
"We got to continue to get pucks and traffic to the net," said Bednar. "We got to continue doing what we've been doing on that end of the rink. We've been pretty good at generating chances both off the rush and in the offensive zone. That has to continue, but certainly getting to the net front and making that a priority will really help us."
Tonight's game is the third of four matchups this season between the Avs and Hawks, and the last one in Chicago. The clubs finish their yearly series with their third meeting in the month on March 30 in Denver.
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