From one moment to the next, the outlook on the Avalanche’s season can deteriorate from apprehension to hopelessness, or just as easily it can swivel from existential dread to ecstatic amnesia. The defending champion Avs are testing their fans on almost a nightly basis, as they simultaneously test their own resolve.
So it was fitting that in a matter of minutes Tuesday night, a Ball Arena sellout redirected its jeers. At second intermission, scattered boos from frustrated Avalanche faithful showered the players on their way to the dressing room. By the time nine minutes remained in the third period, those boos had reached a cacophony and changed targets: the officiating crew for an overturned would-be game-tying goal.