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The Colorado Avalanche made a valiant effort for the postseason with a strong second half, but will ultimately miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons. Still, there is plenty to be optimistic about for the future of the NHL's youngest club.

Gabriel Landeskog is the heavy favorite for the Calder Trophy. Semyon Varlamov played like the elite goaltender the Avalanche thought they were acquiring this past summer, and carried the team on his back since the All-Star Break. Ryan O'Reilly appears to have made the leap into an offensive threat. Peter Mueller appears finally healthy, with a good chance of continuing his career in the NHL.

There were also some down moments, and many included team captain Milan Hejduk. The veteran winger may be playing his last game in an Avalanche sweater, as there are rumors that he has been considering retirement. Hejduk had similar thoughts last season, but ultimately returned on a one-year contract. But after being demoted to the fourth line, Hejduk rarely showed the spark that made him one of the league's feared snipers. His 14 goals this season match his career low (set in his rookie year). Hejduk will also finish with fewer than 20 goals in a season for the first time since his rookie campaign -- breaking a franchise record 11 straight seasons with at least 20 goals scored.

For most of his career, Hejduk has been a cornerstone of the Avalanche offense. Though there is nothing yet official, this may turn out to be his final game in the NHL.

Puck drops at 7:00pm MT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Predators blog On The Forecheck

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Well, it was a fun ride.

The Colorado Avalanche made a late push for the postseason with a spectacular second half of the season, but they will likely fall just short of a playoff berth. A lack of success within the Northwest Division proved to be their Achilles Heel this season, as the Avalanche gained a total of two points in six games against the Vancouver Canucks, failing to beat their division foe during the season for the first time in franchise history.

Colorado didn't fare much better against their opponent on Friday night, the Calgary Flames. In five meetings this season, the Avalanche are 1-4 against their division rivals. In their last meeting two weeks ago, the Avalanche barely won on an overtime goal by David Jones with just over a minute remaining. Now, with both clubs likely out of the postseason, the stakes are essentially nonexistent.

The Flames can blame a late season swoon as well, with a 1-3-3 record in their past seven games -- including losses to likely lottery teams in Edmonton, Columbus, and Minnesota. At the end of the season, neither Colorado nor Calgary had the talent to make it into the NHL postseason. These two rivals will face off against each other one last time this season before renewing their rivalry in the fall.

Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Flames blog Matchsticks and Gasoline.

The Colorado Avalanche picked the worst possible time for a three game losing streak. After playing well since the All-Star Break, the Avalanche were firmly in the playoff picture with the chance to bury two of their closes competitors. Instead, disappointing losses at Phoenix and San Jose have buried Colorado. They now face the difficult challenge of winning their last four games of the season in regulation just to have a shot at the postseason.

Colorado faces a familiar foe, as they play the Northwest Division leading Vancouver Canucks for the sixth and final time. The Avalanche have yet to beat Vancouver this season (0-3-2 record), and blew a 2-0 lead in an overtime loss at Pepsi Center just last Saturday night.

As has been the story for much of the season, the Avalanche have suffered from a lack of consistent offense. Paul Stastny, Gabriel Landeskog, and Jamie McGinn have been the only real scoring threats over the past two weeks. Those three players have scored 13 of the 21 total goals that Colorado has scored in their past 10 games. Even if Colorado fails to make the postseason this year, an elite scorer has to be at the top of their wishlist for free agency.

Semyon Varlamov will start in net for Colorado. He will face Canucks backup goalie Cory Schneider.

Puck drops at 8:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Canucks blog Nucks Misconduct.

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The Colorado Avalanche had a great opportunity on Thursday night to solidify their position in the Western Conference playoffs against the Phoenix Coyotes. Instead, the Coyotes held off a late rally and jumped all the way to third place atop the Pacific Division standings. The Avalanche fell to ninth place and out of the playoff picture with the loss.

Now, with only six games remaining in the regular season, every single game is a must-win for Colorado. For Colorado to punch their own ticket to the postseason without requiring help from other teams, they likely need to finish the season with at least a 5-1 record -- a minimum of 10 points.

They are facing a Canucks team that has been dominant against Colorado for several seasons. Vancouver has outscored Colorado by a 15-3 goal margin this season, going 0-3-1 in those four games. But the canucks have not been a dominant team of late, with a 4-5-1 record in March. They recently lost top forward Daniel Sedin to a concussion, and he is likely to miss the rest of the regular season

Colorado desperately needs their top players to show up for this game on Saturday night. Steve Downie has not scored a goal in his past nine games, and Peter Mueller, Milan Hejduk, and Matt Duchene have a grand total of one goal amongst them in the past two weeks. That simply will not get the Avalanche into the postseason.

Semyon Varlamov will start in net for Colorado. The young goaltender has a .938 SV% in his past nine starts.

Puck drops at 8:00pm MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Canucks blog Nucks Misconduct.

The Colorado Avalanche, fresh off a crucial overtime victory against their division rival Calgary, head to the desert and take on the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday night.

The Coyotes are neck and neck with the Avalanche for a playoff berth, though they still are holding onto Pacific Division title hopes. Currently, Phoenix sits just a point behind the Dallas Stars for the division lead, with Los Angeles and San Jose less than two points behind. With the Pacific Division title (and the home ice advantage that comes with it) likely to go down to the final week of the season, the Coyotes are desperate for two points in the standings. Their 11-0-1 record in February catapulted them into the playoff picture, but they have cooled down significantly with a 3-5-3 record in their past 11 games.

They'll be playing without the services of their captain Shane Doan, who has been suspended for an illegal hit on Dallas forward Jamie Benn. Doan will miss the next three critical games of this playoff race.

Colorado will lean heavily on the shoulders of young goalie Semyon Varlamov, who has taken the starting job with a spectacular second half of the season. His play has been the main catalyst for this recent playoff surge for Colorado (.944 SV% in his past eight starts) and he will be asked to stand tall against the Coyotes. The Avalanche may be without the services of top defenseman Erik Johnson, who missed the last game with a back injury. He travelled with the team, but is questionable to play.

Two big points are on the line. A regulation victory will give one team a significant boost in their postseason chances.

Puck drops at 8:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Coyotes blog Five For Howling.

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The Colorado Avalanche entered this week with a very difficult mission: play against three Eastern Conference playoff teams in three cities over the span of four nights -- and stay in the heart of the Western Conference playoff race.

So far, so good.

The Avalanche won a stunner in Buffalo earlier this week, then rode Jean-Sebastien Giguere's shutout for another point on the back to back against New Jersey. Entering Saturday's road trip finale against the New York Rangers, Colorado has earned three of a possible four points in the standings are currently sit in possession of that eighth and final seed with 81 points.

The bad news, of course, is that they have yet to gain any separation in the playoff chase despite their excellent play through the month of March. Phoenix also has 81 points, and three other teams sit just behind Colorado with 80 points. If Colorado wants to make the playoffs, they'll have to do so by continuing their hot streak.

Semyon Varlamov will return to the net on the best stretch of his young career. The young netminder has carried the Avalanche throughout this second half surge with a 1.87 GAA and .937 SV% since January. He has only allowed 26 goals in his past 14 starts and has carried the load for this young Avalanche team.

The Rangers will also see reinforcements in net, as Henrik Lundqvist will start for the Rangers after missing the last two games with a bout of the flu. Lundqvist is enjoying the best statistical season of his career (1.88 GAA, 935 SV%) and is likely a finalist for the Vezina Trophy this season.

Puck drops at 5:00p.m. MDT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Rangers blog Blueshirt Banter

One of my favorite parts about Purple Row is the solid minor league baseball coverage that's tough to find anywhere else. Every day during the season, you can click on a single link and see how the Asheville Tourists or Tri City Dust Devils fared the previous night. On the sidebar, you can see a list of the top 35 or so prospects in the Rockies system as voted on by the community. It's always been a big part of what we do around here.

I have this dream of doing more.

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What will the Colorado Avalanche do next? After a dramatic overtime victory against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, the Avalanche topped themselves with a stunning shootout victory over the Buffalo Sabres, topped by Jamie McGinn's tying goal with 1.7 seconds left in the game.

With every single point crucial, the Avalanche head down the Atlantic coast to take on the New Jersey Devils in a showdown of two of the top rookies in the league this year. Gabriel Landeskog is getting plenty of national press with his recent performances on national television, and some members of the press are calling the Calder Trophy race right now. But Devils rookie center Adam Henrique has a strong case for the award as well. The forward has excelled on the top line with Zach Parise and Ilya Kovalchuk this season, and is tied for the rookie lead (along with Landeskog) with 46 points on the season.

The Devils have a firm grasp on a playoff berth right now, and are only four points behind Pittsburgh for that coveted fourth seed in the East -- and the home ice advantage that comes with that position.Their stars have shone brightly of late, as Patrick Elias, Parise, and Kovalchuk are all averaging at least a point per game over their last ten contests. Future Hall of Fame goalie Martin Brodeur has been solid in net for the Devils, allowing only 15 goals in his past eight starts.

Colorado's offense is firing on all cylinders right now with the addition of McGinn and Steve Downie. They hope to continue their scoring ways with the return of Matt Duchene. The star forward was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with an ankle injury, but was cleared for play against the Devils.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere will get the start in net, giving Semyon Varlamov some rest after his performance against the Sabres.

Puck drops at 5:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Devils blog In Lou We Trust.

The Colorado Avalanche took care of business with overtime victories over Edmonton and Anaheim, yet still fell into 11th place in the Western Conference despite being idle. In fact, Colorado has won seven of their past 10 games and remains in the same exact position against the impossibly tight Western Conference. Since other teams in the standings are unlikely to fall out of the race, the only thing that Colorado can do is win.

This will be difficult for the Avalanche as they begin an incredibly tough road trip through the Eastern Conference with a game against the other "hottest team" in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres. Once completely out of the playoff picture, the Sabres have regained some momentum behind the play of All-Star goalie Ryan Miller, who has been electric the past two months. In his last nine starts, Miller has a 1.84 GAA in his last nine games and a spectacular .943 SV%.

He has carried Buffalo into the postseason picture almost singlehandedly, since the rest of his offense has been below average -- ranking 24th in the league in goals scored. The Sabres will also be without the services of top defenseman Tyler Myers, who has been suspended for three games following an illegal boarding call.

The Avalanche likely face three Eastern Conference playoff teams over the span of four nights; a herculean task for a team attempting to keep pace in the Western Conference. Thankfully, they've received help from their deadline trade acquisitions. Jamie McGinn and Steve Downie have combined for 7 goals and 11 assists since joining Colorado. Gabriel Landeskog and David Jones have also been very productive lately, bringing the Avalanche offense up to 15th in the NHL in goals scored.

Semyon Varlamov will get another start in net, his sixth straight. The Russian netminder is the talk of the league, carrying a .953 SV% over his last eight starts.

Puck drops at 5:30 p.m. MDT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Sabres blog Die By The Blade.

Just barely a week ago,Colorado Avalanche start forward Matt Duchene gruesomely twisted his ankle during a nationally televised game against the Minnesota Wild. He was expected to miss the remaining three weeks of the regular season at the very least and would be questionable to play if Colorado made the playoffs.

There has been a dramatic update for the forward, as Adrian Dater of the Denver Post is reporting that Duchene not only skated this morning in Buffalo, but will likely be in the lineup on Thursday night against the New Jersey Devils.

Duchene has been struggling this season, but still ranks fifth on the team in goals scored despite only playing 48 games this season. He has suffered a major knee injury and ankle injury this season, but has proven himself to be a gamechanger when healthy.

With Colorado in the midst of one of the tightest playoff races in years, the addition of Matt Duchene back into the lineup could be a major boon for the team's postseason hopes.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey.

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The Colorado Avalanche fell to a playoff-bound Nashville Predators on Thursday night, missing out on a golden opportunity to leapfrog their way back into the top eight seeds in the Western Conference. They will not have that same leeway on Saturday afternoon against the Edmonton Oilers.

The Oilers are virtually guaranteed yet another top 3 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft; this season is already over for them. They have lost four of their past five games, and their young and talented offense has simply not been able to support one of the league's most porous defenses.

With Matt Duchene out for the remainder of the regular season and defenseman Erik Johnson questionable for Saturday's game, the Avalanche will have to earn the two points up for grabs. With a victory, Colorado can potentially leapfrog all the way to 7th place tie in the Western Conference. A loss against one of the league's worst teams, especially at home, would be the second devastating loss in the past week (after last Thursday's defeat against Columbus).

If Colorado wants to make the playoffs, they need to handily defeat a wounded Edmonton team at Pepsi Center.

Semyon Varlamov will get the start in net for Colorado after continuing his stretch of excellent performances.

Puck drops at 1:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Oilers blog Copper N' Blue.

The Colorado Avalanche resuscitated their playoff dreams with back-to-back dominating performances of the struggling Minnesota Wild, and have now won five of their past seven games. Now, the challenge is to continue that momentum for the final stretch of the season; eight of their last 14 games are on the road.

First, Colorado must take on the Nashville Predators. The Predators are solidly in the playoff discussion and, with a dominant goaltender in Pekka Rinne and the league's most fearsome blue line manned by Ryan Suter and Shea Weber, could be mentioned as a dark horse Stanley cup Contender. They certainly have had their way with Colorado lately, winning the past six contests by a 24-11 margin. In fact, the Avalanche have not defeated the Predators since January 22, 2010. If Colorado wants to keep pace with the streaking Dallas Stars, they need to find a way to finally beat the team from Tennessee.

This task becomes more difficult with another injury to forward Matt Duchene, continuing his extremely difficult season. Duchene has been bounced from center to wing, he has missed six weeks with a knee injury, and now will likely miss the remainder of the regular season with an ankle injury.

Semyon Varlamov will get the start in net for Colorado. The Russian netminder is finally starting to show the potential that the Avalanche front office traded for last offseason, displaying a sparkling .950 SV% and two shutouts in his last eight starts.

Puck drops at 6:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Predators blog On The Forecheck.

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The Colorado Avalanche dominated the Anaheim Ducks 4-0 last Monday and appeared to be riding a wave of momentum towards a playoff berth. Instead, the Avalanche have appeared completely lost in their past two games and have been outscored 7-1 at home by Columbus and Pittsburgh.

Now, with a home-and-home series against the Minnesota Wild looming, Colorado needs to rediscover their footing and earn a much needed victory. But the degree of difficulty has been raised; not only are they facing a rested Minnesota team on the second night of a back-to-back after being physically manhandled by the Penguins, but they'll be playing this game without the services of forward Steve Downie.

The newly acquired forward suffered an upper body injury against the Penguins and did not travel with the team. There is no official word as to the severity of the injury. Forward Mike Connolly (one of the prospects acquired from San Jose in exchange for Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi at last week's trade deadline) has been recalled from AHL Lake Erie and may make his NHL debut.

Semyon Varlamov will get the start in net for Colorado.

Puck drops at 5:00 p.m. MDT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Wild blog Hockey Wilderness.

The Colorado Avalanche gave a game away against the dismal Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night, falling 2-0 in an uninspired effort.

They cannot afford to repeat that mistake against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, who have won five of their last six games in dominating fashion. Led by the NHL's leading scorer Evgeni Malkin (8 G, 10 A in the past 10 games), the Penguins offense is firing on all cylinders and enjoying quality contributions throughout their roster. James Neal is having a career season with 30 goals in his first full season with Pittsburgh.

Unfortunately for the Penguins, they lost top defenseman Kris Letang indefinitely with a concussion. Letangsuffered the concussion in Wednesday's game against the Dallas Stars and joins captain Sidney Crosby on the injured reserve list.

For the Avalanche, they need to get better production from their top lines. Against Columbus, Ryan O'Reilly had one of his worst games of the season. Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny were also nearly invisible against the Blue Jackets. With a crucial back-to-back series looming against division rival Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche cannot afford to drop another home game.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere will get the start in net for Colorado, leaving Semyon Varlamov as the likely starter on Sunday night against Minnesota.

Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. MDT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Penguins blog Pensburgh.

By all accounts, the Colorado Avalanche had a great month of February. The team went 7-3-2 over that span, they welcomed back Peter Mueller and Matt Duchene back from injury, caught fire with the Steve Downie trade, and goalie Semyon Varlamov was incredibly good (.942 SV% over his last 7 games).

There the Avalanche sit, still stuck in 9th place despite their successful month.

Why? Here are the February records for some of their closest competition:

Phoenix 11-0-1

Dallas 8-5-3

Calgary 5-2-5

Colorado's current competition is gaining enough points in the standings to keep up with the playoff race. Aside from the red-hot Coyotes, the Avalanche have been outperforming the rest of their competition but with so many overtime games handing out an extra point, it's difficult to create any separation in the standings.

With Chicago scuffling, the last three playoff spots in the Western Conference are now up for grabs -- and there at least six teams with a good shot at one of those berths. Colorado needs to keep collecting wins to make that happen.

Enter the Columbus Blue Jackets. This franchise is redefining what "rock bottom" looks like in the NHL, and this game at the Pepsi Center is epitome of a trap game. Columbus has lost three in a row and are rocketing towards that first overall selection in the June draft. Colorado is the much better team and should win this game easily, but if Columbus catches them looking ahead to Pittsburgh this Saturday, the Avalanche can find themselves in trouble early.

Colorado has won both meetings between these two teams this season, and Gabriel Landeskog has scored a goal in both games. Newly acquired winger Jamie McGinn will make his debut in an Avalanche sweater.

Puck drops at 7:00 p.m. MDT

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Blue Jackets blog Jackets Cannon.

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The Colorado Avalanche made a big trade at the NHL Trade Deadline, moving forwards Daniel Winnik and T.J. Galiardi and a 7th round pick in the upcoming draft to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jamie McGinn, Mike Connelly and Michael Sgarbossa.

McGinn, 23, is the only NHL player coming back to Colorado. The Sharks' 2nd round selection in 2006, McGinn has 12 goals this season and should give Colorado some goalscoring in their bottom two lines. He will be a restricted free agent after this season.

Connelly, 22, is a left winger currently playing with AHL Worchester. The undersized forward has 10 goals and 20 points through 40 games.

Sgarbossa, 19, is the top prospect coming back in this deal. The young center has 41 goals and 84 total points in just 57 games this year for OHL Sudbury -- just six points behind the league leader.

Avalanche GM Greg Sherman found a winger in McGinn with some more offensive upside than Winnik, and used the two players to acquire a couple of quality scoring prospects while still keeping the core of the team intact for a playoff run this season. The Sharks get a defensively responsible forward in Winnik and an energy forward in Galiardi. Both teams filled a need and should be happy with the return.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Sharks blog Fear The Fin.

So far, the Steve Downie trade is looking like a great move for everyone involved. The aggressive forward was a difference maker for the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night, scoring a goal and assist in the 5-0 rout over the lowly Columbus Blue Jackets. Now, the Avalanche face a greater challenge extending their current winning streak to three games as they face the Detroit Red Wings, who just had their NHL record 24 game home winning streak snapped on Thursday night in a shootout against Vancouver.

The Downie trade is also looking pretty good for the Detroit Red Wings. They traded their 2012 1st round pick in the upcoming draft for Kyle Quincey, and he made an immediate impact with solid defense and a goal in his first game back as a Red Wing. He adds significant offensive upside to their deep blue line and solidifies Detroit's status as a serious Cup contender.

For the Avalanche, injuries continue to create turnover in the lineup. T.J. Galiardi will play for Colorado after missing the past week, but Peter Mueller will again sit out with a day-to-day torso injury. Milan Hejduk is also out with an injury, as is defenseman Ryan O'Byrne. The team depth is being tested, but so far has been producing. Mark Olver has been a force since his callup (four points in his four games), and top forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Paul Stastny, and David Jones are all averaging around a point per game the past 10 contests. This recent offensive outburst has bumped Colorado up to 20th in the league in scoring, just six goals from league average.

Jean-Sebastien Giguere is healthy and will get the start in net for Colorado. Jimmy Howard is the likely starter for Detroit.

Puck drops at 5:00 p.m. MDT.

For more coverage, visit our Avalanche blog Mile High Hockey and our Red Wings blog Winging It In Motown.