The scrappy Colorado Avalanche discovered ways of turning lemons into lemonade this past week and the Good, the Bad and the Ugly breaks it all down for you.

THE GOOD

1. The absolute best news of the week – the Avalanche sit in the eighth Wild Card spot with a game in hand on everyone they’re trying catch and all the teams that are trying to catch them. While it hasn’t always been pretty, Colorado has earned at least one point in all five March matchups, seven points overall, for a season total of 80 points with 14 games remaining. They are playing in their own kind of March Madness as the scrappy Avalanche continue to fight their way into the postseason picture. While it’s tough on the blood pressure and may lead to some stress drinking (or eating), having a team in the hunt for the postseason sure is a lot of fun. Stick taps to the entire organization for making Colorado hockey relevant again!

2. Surprise, surprise! Nate the Great continued to rack up points, scoring a goal and notching three assists in the last three contests. He’s accumulated 81 points so far this season. In fact, he’s currently on an eight-game point streak and sits in fifth place in NHL scoring, with fewer games under his belt than any of the players ranked above him. Now, if only he can translate that success into overtime goals. Nate the Great may become an understatement. If he finds a way to sustain his scoring and lead the team to the playoffs, does he become Nate the Super Great? Nate the Dominator? Nate the Supreme? That’s going to need some deliberation.

3. Give big Carl Soderberg some Swedish gift baskets! Soderberg came up big this past week, scoring three goals and an assist. He notched his 15th goal against the Arizona Coyotes, which puts him just one away from his career high. Soderberg deserves a lot of credit. He looked to be one of the veterans who struggled with all the changes last year but he’s managed to put together a solid year, playing the fourth most minutes on the team and consistently contributing on both the penalty kill and the power play. May he keep up the quality effort and set some career highs in the remaining games! Skol!

4. Defenseman Tyson Barrie continues to lead by example. Having become the de facto leader on the defense after Erik Johnson’s freak injury, Barrie currently owns a six-game point streak, tallying four points (2 goals, 2 assists) this past week while logging team-leading ice time as well as quarterbacking the first power play unit. He also stepped up his defense, proving he can make key defensive plays as well as score. Barrie has earned a lot of respect in Johnson’s absence. He’s definitely earned a couple of Dairy Queen gift cards, maybe even a gift basket full of them.

5. The Avalanche power play stepped up big this past week, scoring a power play goal in each game. But the accolades go even further. Colorado has scored a power play goal in seven straight contests. The improvement puts the team 14th in scoring when on the man advantage. Guess it’s time to throw out last year’s rear view mirror. This is a whole different team.

6. Colorado allowed one goal in ten shorthanded situations this past week. Overall, the team’s penalty kill continues its successful ways as they sit 3rd among all teams. Make sure to give credit to the assistant coaches who have been instrumental in turning around the Avalanche’s special teams play. Maybe a nice gift bag, or better yet, a bonus. This turnaround is nothing short of miraculous.

7. The Avalanche went into Chicago and outshot them, out hit them, and out blocked them. The team came back from a one-goal deficit to tie the game – on the road – no easy feat. They did everything but outscore them. They did come away with a point, though, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.

8. Captain Gabriel Landeskog continues to set a tone for this team. Not all play can merely be measured by statistics. It’s worth considering while the team was without Nathan MacKinnon and now without Erik Johnson, they have been able to play at least .500 hockey. However, when Landeskog was suspended, they went 1-3 on a homestand and got spanked 7-2 by a beatable Dallas team. Landeskog leads the forwards in ice time, plays a solid two-way game, wins 50% of his face-offs, manages to be both playful and professional and is the first to congratulate players on their success. And, oh yeah, he’s third on the team in scoring. He could be a pirate. Huzzah!

9. Sven Andrighetto returned to the lineup this week and announced his return with a thud! Yes, a thud. From Arizona Coyotes captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s bottom hitting the ice. After a couple of cheap shots from Ekman-Larsson, including breaking his stick as he cross-checked Andrighetto, the feisty forward delivered two gloved hands to the captain’s face and down Ekman-Larsson went. With a thud. The home crowd roared. The ensuring scrum racked up penalty minutes for both teams. But the key – Andrighetto’s relentless play irritates opponents so even when he’s not scoring, he’s making plays. And that’s a breath of fresh air to a team that’s battling for respect – and a playoff berth – down the home stretch. Welcome back, you’ve been missed!

10. Overlooked in the high event game against the Coyotes – defenseman Nikita Zadorov. He played a dominant game of hockey and proved to be an unstoppable force. Zadorov fired two shots on goal that were blocked by Coyotes – Derek Stepan and Laurent Dauphin. Both players instantly dropped to the ice and were helped off. Stepan returned later while Dauphin is listed as day-to-day. Maybe the coaches should look at utilizing that high power shot. He also made a couple of key hits and effectively supported scoring thrusts. Yet, he didn’t even make one of the three stars of the game. His play was exceptional. Not acknowledging it – ugly.

11. Mikko Rantanen continues to shine in his sophomore year. He had a goal and four assists and sits second on the team for scoring and assists. If this is his sophomore slump, what will next year look like? Oh yeah, the future’s so bright, ya’ gotta’ wear shades.

12. Defenseman Erik Johnson emerged from the Lost Boys camp to taking pre-practice shots and passing drills. Wearing his pumpkin jersey, he still participated in yesterday’s practice, even sliding full out on the ice to block a shot. Hope blooms that he return in time to help the team finish the season well. Either way, seeing his competitive streak alive and kicking is always good.

THE BAD

1. The Avalanche managed to get to overtime for both road games, only to lose in the first minute. It only took Chicago nine seconds to score in the 3-on-3 while it took Columbus nearly a full minute. Colorado’s overtime effort of late has not been good. In fact, it’s kind of bad. They lost three straight games in overtime. For a team that’s scrappy enough to get to overtime, it would be nice to see that effort manifest in the 3-on-3. At least don’t let the other team move down the ice to shoot on your goal unopposed. Right now, the Avalanche look stinky cheese bad when they should be pouncing on the opportunity to get another point. Seize the day, Carpe Diem and all that jazz (although I don’t know how catching carp is inspirational)!

2. Nathan MacKinnon got into a fight with Arizona’s Martinook after a high hit to Rantanen. While one relishes the fire with which MacKinnon defended his teammate, can’t another Avalanche player handle that responsibility? Please? He is such a key to the team’s offense, they really can’t afford for him to get injured or suspended. With the playoffs on the line, cooler heads need to prevail here. Let someone else take the enforcer role. Please. Pretty please. How come that seems like spitting into the wind?

3. Coach Bednar switched up the top scoring line for a bit while on the road against Columbus. Didn’t look good. Maybe save that for a home game, against a team like the Coyotes. Or some other team not in a playoff hunt. But that move was just a head-scratcher. Let’s just give Bednar a mulligan on that one. He’s earned it.

THE UGLY

1. Jonathan Bernier appears to be going through concussion protocol – AGAIN. This goes beyond bad. It’s truly ugly. He sustained hits to the head in his first game back after a concussion. He took a puck to the helmet later in the second period of the Arizona game and then took a glancing blow from a teammate as he defended an Arizona flurry five minutes into the third. Hopefully, the move is precautionary. Otherwise, ugly will be an understatement. Semyon Varlamov has played well but looks like he could use a little rest. Having to come turnaround the last 10 minutes of the game cold probably didn’t help achieve that goal.

2. Can everyone just agree the game against the Columbus Blue Jackets was an ugly affair? The Avalanche were called for five straight penalties, with nary a Columbus penalty in sight. Colorado blew a two-goal lead. Yet, they came back against another team also fighting for a postseason slot and managed to eke out a point. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, I guess. Let’s not see that kind of sloppy play again, though, ‘kay?

LOST BOYS

Defenseman Mark Barberio continues to be an enigma, disappearing once again into the Injury Zone after being seen before a practice in a no-contact jersey. Goaltender Andrew Hammond is still listed as out with a concussion as is forward Colin Wilson. Jonathan Bernier also seems to be suffering from yet another concussion with only Erik Johnson working his way out of the injury zone. The rest of the Lost Boys? No timeline on their recovery and for all intents and purposes, they are truly lost until someone says otherwise. Maybe it’s time to ban Peter Pan from the rink.

PLAYER CAROUSEL

1. Colorado sent recovering forward Vladislav Kamenev to the San Antonio Rampage for a conditioning stint. In his first game with the Rampage, he recorded three assists. He could return to the Avalanche by the end of the week. Keep an eye out for him as he may be welcome relief down the stretch.

2. The Avalanche recalled defenseman David Warsofsky late Friday night and he played in Saturday’s matchup against the Coyotes. A tight turn around but he managed to play over 16 minutes. Will he stay up with the big club? Only the shadow knows.

3. Colorado recalled goaltender Spencer Martin after Saturday’s contest where Jonathan Bernier left in the middle of the third period. Martin spent less than a week with the Rampage. Who knows how long he will be with the big club but with the injury bug circling the team, it might behoove them to keep him up for the rest of the season as insurance.

4. Defenseman Andrei Mironov was waived to return to the KHL. Apparently, he preferred to return to Russia rather than play with the San Antonio Rampage. There are rumors he may sign with Dinamo Moscow for next season. The Avalanche still hold his NHL rights.

WHAT TO WATCH

1. The Avalanche are already in Minnesota to take on the Wild at 6:30 pm MST tonight. One can’t over sell how important this matchup is, as both teams are vying for spots in the playoffs. Also, it’s the Mild, or the Mildew, or whatever disparaging nickname you prefer. Even if Colorado doesn’t make the playoffs, beating Minnesota is a moral imperative.

2. Colorado will continue their road swing with another Central Division contest against the St. Louis Blues at 6 pm MST Thursday night, March 15. The Blues are chasing the Avalanche for the final playoff spot so expect some intense play. Also, this game is the first of a back-to-back set for Colorado.

3. The Avalanche will return home to host the division-leading Nashville Predators Friday night, March 16. Puck drops at 7 pm. If it’s anything like the last matchup, it should be an intense game, hopefully with an even better outcome.

4. Finally, on Sunday Colorado will host a must-win game against the Detroit Red Wings. As any diehard Avalanche fan knows, any game against Detroit is a must win. And one can expect the Dead Things would love to play the spoiler to Colorado’s playoff hopes. Look for an intense, and likely chippy, contest.

The Avalanche continue their rollicking roller coaster ride to a postseason berth, full of death-defying odds, and all the thrills, chills, and heart-wrenching turns that entails. Enjoy the ride – and keep the seatbelts on. It’s only going to get bumpier from here. Ain’t it great? Throttle up!