Avalanche eye top seed with struggling Canucks visiting

While the Colorado Avalanche close in on the top overall seed for the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks have all but clinched the NHL's basement.

Vancouver (21-44-8, 50 points) has been eliminated from the playoffs and, with nine games remaining, sit 17 points behind the next-worst team in the league entering Tuesday's play. The Canucks have lost six in a row, a streak they will try to end when they visit Colorado on Wednesday night.

The Avalanche (49-14-10, 108 points) ended...