The Colorado Avalanche don't have much to play for at this point. Sure, a postseason berth is technically within reach, but the five points separating them from the Wild and a wild card spot look nearly insurmountable, even as the Wild continue to slide.
Because of that, it's not really surprising that the Avs, with just four games left until the close of their 2015-16 NHL season, lost to the NHL playoffs-bound St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday night. And when you see a guy like Colorado forward Matt Duchene - the trendy trade rumor subject from earlier this season who ultimately picked up his play and, in that losing effort to the Blues, managed to reach the 30-goal plateau - celebrate said goal, it's hard to reconcile his exuberance with the futility of Colorado's 2015-16 season and the pointlessness of the next three games, all of which fans of the team will pay to endure.
Embattled Avs coach Patrick Roy, watching from behind the bench as his team dropped that game to the Blues and as Duchene jumped and shouted and danced with glee while celebrating his goal, had some harsh words for the core of his team late Sunday.
"When Washington needs a goal, they turn to [Alex] Ovechkin. When Pittsburgh needs a goal, they turn to [Sidney] Crosby. Their core players are the ones," Roy said. "Our core players are having a hard time carrying this team. That's the bottom line. I'm sorry. But I mean, I can look at myself in the mirror, and we can all look at ourselves in the mirror, but at the end of the day, the core has to be our best players."
He also took Duchene to task for his overly-emotive celebration after scoring what was, in essence, a meaningless goal.
"The thing I have a bit of a hard time with is the reaction of Dutchy after he scores," Roy said. "It's a 4-0 goal. Big cheer. Are you kidding me? What is that? I mean, it's not the reflect we want from our guys."
You can check out video of Duchene's reaction to tipping home Mikkel Boedker's shot here.
Sure, Duchene gives a little jump and throws his hands in the air, but it's hard to fault a guy for feeling positive in the moment about scoring a 30th goal for the first time in his seven-year NHL career, especially when that goal finally gets hit team on the board during a game that was so frustrating from an offensive standpoint. And it's obvious the rest of the Avs knew it was coming - Boedker collects the puck as the rest of the team mobs Duchene.
The congratulations probably felt out of place considering Roy was watching his team's season circle the drain.
But really, what would Roy prefer? That his guys act without emotion, mourning the season before its over? That they show little care for the milestone reached by a teammate? Roy's surely telling Duchene and the rest of the Avs players before the game to keep their emotion high, telling them not give up just because the postseason is out of reach. Should he expect them not to find a reason to celebrate when they've had so few reasons to celebrate?
Something is clearly wrong with the Avalanche as currently constructed, that much is clear.
Other than their Cinderella 2013-14 season, Roy's crew has proven woefully incapable - especially defensively - against the better teams in the Western Conference. At this point, Colorado GM Joe Sakic has plenty of questions to answer headed into the offseason.
The first though, should be whether Roy is even the man to lead this team, because his words Sunday night as he and his team were attempting to shake off yet another disappointing loss make him sound less like a coach trying to keep his young charges in check, and more like a frustrated boss unsure of what buttons to push, when, and clueless as to how to get the talent on the roster to perform up to their abilities.
