The Avalanche rode their own roller coaster back to the playoffs

I’ve been blessed to have a unique look at the Colorado Avalanche the last three years. It seemed like a curse at first because I was the only media member to cover the 48-point Avalanche season from training camp through 82 regular season games.

I remember those postgame locker rooms, especially in the second half of the season. This was an organization that was going through those brutal teenage years with its constant soul-searching. There was talent there and the world could see it, they simply couldn’t get the best of it all the time. They didn’t know who they were quite yet and they stumbled their way through.

I was there for the team’s playoff-clinching victory against St. Louis last year. It was the most jubilant locker room I’ve ever been in. There were hugs, high-fives, and even some tears along the way. For them to respond to such an embarrassing season that way was huge for the organization. They suddenly felt they had a chance to make some noise. They put an unexpected scare into Nashville before eventually bowing out in front of a thankful home crowd in the sixth game of the series.

Then came this season.

And what a season it has been. The hot start, the middle stretch where Avalanche goaltenders completely fell apart. The injuries to two-thirds of the league’s most dangerous top line. The late-season push (8-0-2!) that made no sense whatsoever backstopped by a guy who had an .890 save percentage as recently as FEBRUARY!

And here we are. The Avalanche are in the playoffs for the second consecutive year for the first time in the post-lockout era. The rebuild that began in 2009 took a few twists and turns but it’s finally starting to pay off a little bit.

Even tonight, it wasn’t easy. It was very on-brand of this Avs team to go through the in-game hell they had to in order to get there. The first period alone saw the Avs surrender two goals, one very questionable goal that went to review but did not go Colorado’s way, and the Avs miss an open net early on.

But Colorado just got back to work. Tyson Barrie’s insane run to end the season continued when he fired a bullet past Connor Hellebuyck, who tracked the puck so well he didn’t even move until well after the celebration had started. The Avalanche halved the lead but couldn’t quite finish other glorious opportunities to tie the game.

Entering the third period tied, Colorado simply needed to get the game to overtime to clinch the final spot in the playoffs. The Avs pressed hard but it started to feel like “one of those nights” where they would just come up short. Then Carl Soderberg tipped home the game-tying goal and the Pepsi Center went ballistic. Everyone knew.

Getting no help from Vegas against the Arizona Coyotes, the Avalanche decided to channel their inner Pedro Cerrano and do it themselves. Sorry, Jobu. Ever the dramatic ones, the Avs took a mind-boggling too many men on the ice penalty with 1:26 remaining and would have to make the playoffs on the penalty kill. The 25th-ranked unit got it done, setting off a bizarre celebration with a game headed into overtime.

Ian Cole skated back to Philipp Grubauer and hugged him after regulation ended. The job was done. Sort of.

They still had overtime to play but it didn’t really matter that much to the Avalanche in the big picture. They killed the penalty and Erik Johnson beat Hellebuyck 1:49 into overtime to steal the second point from the Jets, which they needed in their hunt to win the Central Division.

The locker room after the win was different than last year’s.

Erik Johnson, who was hurt during last year’s playoff run and missed the on-ice fun, couldn’t stop smiling that famous gap-toothed grin of his.

“To get the win in front of our home fans in Denver, who we love playing for, we clinched and then found a way to win in overtime,” Johnson said. “It was so much fun. Just the energy in the crowd…man that was fun. Such a cool experience to do that for our fans here. Two years in a row in the playoffs. Expectations are higher this year. Let’s keep playing! You never know what could happen. We’re peaking at the right time so that’s a lot of fun.”

In a league where half of the teams make the postseason, it’s not really much of an accomplishment to make the postseason in a single year. We saw the 2013-14 Avalanche best exemplify the kind of crazy season a team is capable of having when everything goes its way but they aren’t built for long-term success. They weren’t and the ensuing decisions set the franchise back several more years. This team making the postseason for the second straight year is an accomplishment in itself, even if it was significantly harder than it should have been.

“It feels good,” Johnson began. “I’ve been here almost 10 years. I love playing for the Avalanche and have a ton of pride in the organization so to do this means a lot to me and means a lot to the fans and the staff and management that believe in us. It’s a good feeling. A lot of work left to be done for sure. Man, we made it so tough on ourself. Too many men with a minute twenty left? I mean you should’ve heard the groan on the bench. We were like, “You have got to be kidding me.” We kill it off, they hit a pipe, guys are selling out left and right. I did a friggin backflip trying to block a Laine shot. It was loud in there. It sure was fun. I can’t wait to play in front of those fans in the playoffs.”

The injury that kept Johnson out of the postseason forced them to play David Warsofsky and Duncan Siemens (combined NHL games this season: 0) in the playoffs against Nashville. This year, the club is largely healthy (Rantanen is back skating and the playoffs don’t begin until next Wednesday at the earliest) and Johnson is one of the key players for Colorado if they’re going to surprise in the postseason and no player better symbolizes the organization’s struggle to find its footing as a contender.

“It was tough for me last year,” Johnson said. “I was not able to be on the ice but I was going crazy in the locker room last year. I put a lot of hard work, effort, and blood, sweat, and tears into this team and organization for a long time and kind of see what we’re building and see it come to fruition and see the steps guys have taken. I’m getting a little bit older now so you never know how many kicks at the can you’ll get to bring a Cup into Denver. A lot of fun, a lot of good emotions running through me right now.”

Those emotions are running through all of Denver tonight. The Colorado Avalanche are back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.