As shocking as the deal for Erik Johnson was, the timing was outrageous. The Avalanche and Blues will face off in St Louis just three days after their big trade.
Injuries and inconsistency aside, the Avalanche are lucky to be 8-7-1 in a Western Conference that features only two clubs with losing records.
In that last five minutes, and really throughout the game, Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson played exceptionally well. He set an Avalanche record for most shots faced in a season, stopping 48 of 51 Dallas shots in this game.
Coming off of twin 2-3 road losses, both of these teams are in desperate need of a win this evening to keep their playoff aspirations alive.
For all of the issues that the young Colorado Avalanche have exhibited this year, there has been one constant: goalie Craig Anderson.
The Avalanche were inactive on Saturday, but plenty happened in the Western Conference playoff field.
