LOSS BY ST. LOUIS A WIN FOR COLORADO

» Avalanche coach Jared Bednar watched the Chicago Blackhawks’ comeback victory at St. Louis on television Wednesday night, and suffice to say, it put a smile on his face.

A giant smile.

“Felt good,” Bednar said of the Blackhawks’ big 4-3 win that kept his team a point in front of the Blues for the final Western Conference playoff spot.

Colorado, which lost 4-2 at San Jose on Thursday night, will host the Blues on Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams. If St. Louis beats Chicago on Friday, the Avs will need to beat the Blues in regulation to advance to the playoffs. Any other Friday outcome means Colorado just has to beat St. Louis.

“We still have to take care of our business,” Bednar said after Thursday’s morning skate at the SAP Center. “We’ve been talking about that a long time. We’ve kind of stumbled here in the first two games of this road trip, but hopefully (Chicago’s win) helps relieve some pressure that’s been on us.”

The Avs lost 4-3 in overtime Sunday at Anaheim and 3-1 on Monday at Los Angeles.

And with the season on the line, Bednar had a big decision to make with defenseman Mark Barberio, who was cleared after missing 33 games with an upper-body injury. Barberio was a top-four defenseman in his previous game with the team Jan. 23 at Montreal, his hometown.

Bednar had said playing Barberio would be a game-time decision. Barberio and six other defensemen took warm-up, but the left-shot Barberio was chosen to play, with the team scratching right-shooting Mark Alt.

“It’s another more experienced guy, a puck-moving guy,” Bednar said of Barberio. “His legs feel great. He looks like he’s skating fine. Hopefully, he can jump back in and continue where he left off.”

Said Barberio: “I hope it comes back quick. I’ve never experienced this before, being out for an extended period of time like this. There’s obviously going to be timing adjustments but I think the key for me, if I do get in, is keeping things simple, making sure my feet are moving, and getting up to speed as fast as I can.”