Avalanche's Next Week May Be Toughest Stretch Of The Season

The NHL's schedule-maker is not always kind, and certainly, not always fair. And in the next seven days, the Colorado Avalanche will find that out, as they deal with what could prove to be their toughest stretch of the current regular season.

Starting with Thursday's game against the defending Western Conference-champion Edmonton Oilers, the Avalanche's next four games will be against teams that are either at or near the top of their respective divisions. And the way things are looking, the Avs could be losers of four straight games by the time it's all said and done.

Indeed, after Colorado's home game against the Oilers, the Avalanche will be continuing their homestand with tilts against Dallas Saturday, Minnesota Monday, and Winnipeg Wednesday. At present, the Stars, Wild and Jets all have solid-enough road records, so the Avs will be hard-pressed to win all their home games, let alone run the table.

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After that stretch, things get considerably easier for Colorado, as they have road games against Boston, the New York Islanders, and New York Rangers. But it's not an exaggeration to say that the next seven days could be a significant bump in the road for the Avs. If they can pull off wins against Central Division rivales, they can move up the standings. But if they lose and fail to make up any ground, they'll be digging themselve a hole.

For now, though, a good start will be a win over Edmonton. But if the Avalanche lose to the Oilers, the pressure on them in their current schedule will ratchet up considerably.