Thursday, March 29, 2012

Avs playoff push; too much pressure


It’s been an unexpectedly warm March on record for Denver, but on the ice it seems extra cold.

The Colorado Avalanche have lost 4 straight games, during the most inopportune time to go on a chilly streak. They’ve given away, surrendered, and just haven’t found a win to put the closing marks against teams that right there in the hunt with them.

The sharks (including San Jose) have now come and gone. And they have left the young, late-game resilient team to flounder around hoping for one last gasp.

With three games remain, two of which come at the Pepsi Center, the Avs sit just two points out of 7th place. So they aren’t that far out of postseason play, and they have played as good as any team in the league during spurts this year, but it feels like they are a million miles away.

Every game is said be “the most important game of the year”, and then restated over and over again to no end.

You cannot expect a team to get-up for a game-7 type atmosphere night after night, and then say they have a do-over. (Even though us naïve sports fans would like to think they play with the same heart if Lord Stanley’s Cup were on the line.) It’s physically and mentally exhausting.

Colorado still has an opportunity to get 6 points and get into the mix. They will have to play better hockey to do so, and a little less pressure wouldn’t hurt.

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