Next-Day Avs Thoughts and Notes and NHL 3 Best Bets

No skating yet for Landeskog, Helm hurt again

Hey, it’s Friday, it’s warm and partly sunny out and I heard some birds chirping this morning. Oh, and the Colorado Avalanche are still the Stanley Cup champions until proven otherwise. So, let’s count those blessings, fans.

But, yeah, a lot of you are a bit down about the team, judging by my inboxes. Losing to the Chicago Blackhawks, a seventh loss in the last eight games, will do that.

But, hey, here’s some reason for optimism: According to the numbers crunchers at Moneypuck.com, the Avs still have a 65.5% chance of making the playoffs!

• I still think the Avs will make the postseason, very much so. They’re in a bad slump, but they’ll get out of it. Guys will come back eventually. Val Nichushkin, Bo Byram and Josh Manson all skated today. None will be available for tomorrow’s game against Ottawa and probably not even next week, but they’re getting healthier. They’ll get there.

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• Well, not everyone is getting healthier: