“I thought you guys played a pretty good game,” I said to Nikita Zadorov, sitting by himself quietly.

“Not good enough. We didn’t win,” Big Z replied.

Yeah, that about sums it up. Earlier in the year, this kind of a loss might have been tallied as a moral victory at least. But this Avalanche team knows it has more yesterdays than tomorrows. A 3-0 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes keeps the Avs frustratingly with its nose pressed up against the glass, where inside it’s warm and toasty among the top eight teams in the Western Conference.

The Avs remain two points back of Minnesota for the final Wild Card spot in the West, with the Arizona Coyotes also ahead of them by a point. The Wild and Coyotes both lost Monday night, so this was another lost opportunity to make a move in the standings. Another home game in which a team from the East came into the Pepsi Center and seemed to somehow have just a little more jump, a little more winning edge, than the team that plays at altitude for 41 games a year.

That said, the Avs did not play a bad game in this one. Carolina was just a bit better. Only 12 games remain.

“We gotta score on some of our chances,” an exasperated Jared Bednar said. “We’re fortunate (other teams) lost and we’re still right there. Would have been nice to get two points, but give them credit. They’re a good team.”

The Avs outshot the ‘Canes 38-33, several of them Grade A scoring chances. But former Detroit goalie Petr Mrazek turned back the clock a little with a vintage performance. He robbed several Avs, including poor Colin Wilson about three times.

Carolina took advantage of a couple miscues by the Avs in scoring their first two goals, the first coming on a delayed penalty after Erik Johnson was caught flat-footed and had to take a tripping call. Then, in the third period, when Tyson Barrie had the stick knocked out of his hands. Barrie skated a couple feet forward in the Carolina zone to retrieve it, but by then the Hurricanes were going the other way, with Andrei Svechnikov scoring, with Barrie trailing the play the whole time.

Barrie was ticked off that slashing wasn’t called on Carolina, slashing his stick that is.

“I asked for an explanation and they said it’s because I had one hand on my stick,” said Barrie, who had a frustrating night all around, with five shots on goal and nothing to show for it. “We just couldn’t get anything by him tonight. We know what time of year it is and how big these points are. We certainly came prepared and we came ready to compete. We want it so bad in here, and it’s just a bit frustrating. There’s no time to feel sorry for yourself. Just gotta turn the page.”

The Avs now have four days before their next game, at home Friday against Anaheim. If they can’t find a way to win that game? You know what, maybe it won’t mean the end of the season. After all, nobody else seems to want to get a stranglehold on that second Wild Card spot. But, yeah, the Avs have to win that one probably.

“Just kind of pissed, the way we lost this game,” said Mikko Rantanen, who played well despite the loss. “We put all kinds of chances on him. We should have caught Minny by now, separate ourselves more in points. We didn’t do it. We just have to rest three days now, and go back at it against Anaheim.”

A FEW OTHER OBSERVATIONS/NOTES

• Bednar said he really liked the way Philipp Grubauer played. I asked him if he might consider him his new No. 1, having started for two games in a row, but Bednar wouldn’t bite. He’ll think it over more before Friday.
• If you want my opinion on where the game turned a bit, it was in the Avs failing to do much on two first-period power plays. Too much overpassing and hesitancy with the puck, IMO.
• Carolina is fast. One of the few teams that can really skate with the Avs in all areas. They have a deep defense too. I think they are a real dark horse to go far in the playoffs.
• Tyson Jost is kind of going into an offensive funk again. He’s one guy who really has more of an opportunity for more minutes, with Gabe Landeskog out. But the results weren’t there. Seven straight games without a point for No. 17.
• Nathan MacKinnon had a game-high seven shots on net. Alas, alas.
• This was the first time ever that the Hurricanes won a regular-season game at the Pepsi Center.