Mega Matchup Looms

SAN JOSE, Calif.--It all comes down to Saturday.
After 81 games, the matchup between the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues at Pepsi Center will essentially be the play-in game for the final spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.
St. Louis has one more game before then--Friday night at the Chicago Blackhawks--but with the Avs currently holding a one-point advantage in the standings, the winner of the season finale will most likely move on. There could be a tiebreaking scenario where the losing team advances, but the setup for Saturday's affair will be winner-take-all.
"Honestly, not surprised it comes down to Game 82 this year," said Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog. "As tight as it has been in our conference all year and in our division, I'm not surprised it comes down to it. It is going to be a fun challenge and a lot of fun. Pepsi Center is going to be buzzing and so are we."

Colorado couldn't increase its lead over St. Louis on Thursday night at the team lost 4-2 at the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center in its final road contest of the 2017-18 regular season.
It was a defeat that stung the Avs afterward, but the players understood they created enough scoring opportunities to give them a chance to force OT. The contest was played fairly even, as San Jose finished with a 68-67 edge in shot attempts and both clubs tallied on the power play.
"It is just stiff competition and you have to earn every inch of your ice," said Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. "You need a bounce to go your way and you need a break to go your way, and you need to come up with a big defensive play when you need them.
"I thought we were here competing today. A little bit of a slow start, but then we kind of started to generate. Got to find a way to capitalize on a couple of those chances."

The Sharks scored first on a shot from the point that redirected off an Avalanche player in the first period, and Mikko Rantanen tied the outing at 1-1 with a man-advantage tally early in the third frame.
San Jose retook the lead soon after with back-to-back markers, but Blake Comeau got Colorado back within one tally with a tip-in goal with 6:54 left. The Avs had opportunities in the closing minutes to force OT, but the Sharks sealed their victory with an empty-netter with less than two seconds remaining.
"The effort was there, just the bounces didn't come our way," Landeskog said. "We had some chances, and it felt like it was just a matter of time before the tying goal was going to come, but [San Jose goalie Martin] Jones made some nice saves."

The Sharks had a defensively strong opening period, as they kept the Avalanche to the perimeter of the ice and didn't allow many pucks--or players for that matter--to venture through the slot. San Jose finished with 28 blocked shots on the night, but Colorado did a better job of forcing its way to the front of the net and created more havoc in the final 40 minutes.
"I thought we had a ton of chances off the rush, a ton down low," said Avs forward Nathan MacKinnon, who hit a post on a shot in the third period. "Jones was their best player tonight, for sure."
In the end, Colorado couldn't convert and now gets ready to play what can officially be titled as the "biggest game of the year."
The Avalanche and Blues have been neck-and-neck and trading places in the standings for more than a month now. Colorado has 93 points, but St. Louis has 92 with a game in hand. Both clubs have 40 regulation or overtime wins (first tiebreaker).

"We'll just regroup, and we'll have a little conversation about what the game means and how much we put into this season," Bednar said. "There is not a bunch of time. Just get ready to go and lay it all out there in front of our fans for one game where we've been really good. That should give us a little bit of confidence."
The Avs have one of the best home records in the league this season, with its 27 victories tied for the second most in franchise history. If there is a 28th victory at Pepsi Center, it would tie the record set by the 2000-01 Stanley Cup championship team and possibly lead to a postseason berth.
"Obviously, this is Game 7 for us," said Colorado defenseman Mark Barberio. "This is what you play for. These are moments that every player wants to play in and a chance to get into the playoffs still. Lost tonight, we got to forget about it and move on. Big game Saturday."

POWER UP

Mikko Rantanen tied the game 4:43 into the third period during the Avalanche's first and only power-play opportunity of the game.
Rantanen scored after Nathan MacKinnon's shot caromed to him at the right circle, and he buried a wrist shot top shelf before San Jose goaltender Martin Jones could get in position in time.

It was Rantanen's 12th power-play goal and 34th power-play point of the season, which ranks eighth in the league. He is second on the team in overall scoring with 83 points after registering 29 goals and 54 assists in 80 games.
Colorado is now 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) with the man advantage over its last four contests.

BARBERIO MAKES RETURN

Mark Barberio made his return to the lineup after two-plus months on the Avalanche's injured list.
Barberio played in his first game since the Jan. 23 outing at the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night. He missed 33 games with an upper-body injury.
"I was just trying to keep my shifts short and keep things as simple as possible," Barberio said. "First few shifts, the legs were kind of heavy, but as the game went on I felt better and better and was getting into the game. I tried to keep my shifts short throughout the game."

The Montreal, Quebec, native might have had short shifts but he stayed busy. He played 17:54 and had a shot on goal, two shot attempts, two hits and five blocked shots.
"He's one of those guys that can defend top players," head coach Jared Bednar said of Barberio. "He can move the puck, plays with a little bit of edge and a little bit of poise with the puck too. I thought he was surprisingly good for how long he has been out. He helped us out tonight, for sure."
Barberio replaced Mark Alt in the Colorado lineup and began the game on the team's third defensive pairing with David Warsofsky.