Avalanche will try to keep hopes alive against Devils

Two decades ago the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche were the elite of the NHL. They combined to win five Stanley Cups in nine seasons and met in a classic seven-game Stanley Cup Finals series in 2001.

Colorado's win in that Game 7 gave Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque his lone Cup in his final game, and two years later the Devils won their third title.

Time hasn't been kind to either franchise. New Jersey reached the finals in 2012 but neither franchise has been a serious contender since. The teams meet in Colorado on Sunday afternoon, with the Devils already eliminated from playoff contention and the Avalanche trying to hold on to their ever-slimming postseason hopes.

Colorado had a chance to improve its lot against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night but couldn't hold a 2-0 lead and lost 5-3. The Avalanche (30-29-12) are running out of games in their chase for a second consecutive playoff berth, and another loss at home to a team out of contention would be costly.

"We have to win hockey games. We can't keep letting games slip away," Colorado defenseman Ian Cole said after the loss to Anaheim. "Not only do you have to beat the teams that we should beat, which I guess at this point is up in the air, but we need to win games, and that's really all there is to it."

Not reaching the playoffs would be disappointing after the Avalanche were there last year and gave top-seed Nashville a tough series in the opening round.

They were dealt a blow when captain and third-leading scorer Gabriel Landeskog was lost for the season earlier this month but were still in playoff position. Now they need a win over the Devils on Sunday afternoon and to keep piling up the wins down the stretch.

"There's still a possibility," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said after Friday's loss. "As long as there are games left, we still have a chance. Until we're mathematically eliminated, we have a chance."

The Devils (27-36-9) were officially eliminated from the postseason Friday night despite beating the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in a shootout. They were 0-6-1 before wins against Edmonton and Vancouver that ended any real chance for the playoffs, but New Jersey has shown some character in its last two games.

The low point on the road was a 9-4 loss at Calgary on Tuesday night.

"I'm really happy for our guys. They battled back," New Jersey coach John Hynes said after the win Friday night. "We got kicked hard (in Calgary) and the response the last two games, the mental focus, the commitment, the way they are working, the way they are playing, I am just happy we were able to find a way to win because we worked so hard for two games."

Sunday's game wraps up a six-game road trip for the Devils that started in Washington on Mar. 8. If the Devils can finish the road trip 3-3 it would further boost morale and all but end Colorado's playoff push.

--Field Level Media