#2: Colorado Gives Heartwarming Finish to Disappointing Season
The Colorado Avalanche did not make the playoffs at the conclusion of the 2014-15 season. Despite an excellent push after the new year, it wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. We all saw it coming, but the fact stung just the same.
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Right after the numbers made it official, the Avalanche lost 3-1 to the LA Kings for their last road game of the season. Captain Gabriel Landeskog said the team would put on a fitting end to the season for the fans for the last three games, all of them at home.
Some fans thought the Avalanche would be better off tanking the last three games to improve their NHL draft standings. However, the players came out and were as good as their captain’s words. They beat the Nashville Predators — who led the Central Division — 3-2. They beat the Winnipeg Jets, also playoff-bound, 1-0 in the shootout — goalie Reto Berra recorded his first career shutout.
The Colorado Avalanche then beat the team that would eventually become the Stanley Cup champions, the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-2.
Naturally, all of us wanted the Colorado Avalanche to make the playoffs, not just have a small winning streak at the end before cleaning out their lockers. Yet the players came out with poise and class in what some other teams call “meaningless games” and played for their fans.
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