Here is the tough part about climbing out of the Western Conference cellar: Other lower-tier teams on this side of the NHL are playing desperately, too.

This side of the league is so much better than the eastern half, as we saw against Friday when the Avalanche won at Washington. This was Colorado’s third consecutive victory.

By winning the first game on a daunting six-game road trip, the Avalanche gained momentum in their quest to stay alive in the playoff race. They got center Paul Stastny back in the lineup and they have benefited from Andrew Raycroft’s improved play in goal.

“We played smart,” defenseman Adam Foote told the Denver Post afterward. “We’re just focusing on trying to get it back together. We’ve just got to stay with it.”

Raycroft noted great improvement in the team’s defensive zone play.

“We didn’t give them many power plays - only two, I think, and they both came with about 30 seconds left on power plays of our own,” he told the Post. “That made a big difference. We weren’t really scrambling around the front of the net.”

So to make any progress, the Blues have to win just about every game. Tonight’s battle against Nashville presents an opportunity to continue the forward progress at the expense of a conference rival.

As for the rest of the conference, look for the Phoenix Coyotes to pull the chute. The franchise is for sale and the club has some interesting assets to exchange for future commodities.

This team already has an army of impressive young players, but it could accelerate the retooling process by moving veterans like Olli Jokinen.

Also, keep an eye on the Ducks. As they showed during a 5-2 loss at the Detroit, the former Cup champions are a shell of their former selves. New Jersey is looking to bring back Scott Niedermayer as a rental and Old Friend Chris Pronger could also be in play.

Wouldn’t it be weird to see him land in, say, Detroit? Prongs wearing the Winged Wheel . . . yikes!

He played his 1000th NHL game in Motown, causing many to reminisce about all the good time at Joe Louis Arena.

Ducks goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere has struggled all season - in part due to family issues - but a contender might take a flyer on him to see if a scenery change helps.

What will Minnesota do? The Wild aren’t due to get Marian Gaborik back until mid- to late March. Meantime they must play 15 of their next 19 games on the road.

As the Toronto Globe and Mail notes, it is hard to remember that Minnesota started the season 6-0-1 and seemed like a mortal playoff lock.

KEITH TKACHUK RUMOR MILL

The return of Andy McDonald, the continued strong play of David Backes and the depth offered by Brad Winchester and B.J. Crombeen would make it easier for Andy Murray to assemble three decent lines even if Keith Tkachuk departed in a trade.

In that scenario, Murray would have to get more goals for kids David Perron and T.J. Oshie. Hockey Guy would expect both to come through.

(It’s not like the Blues would be lost without Tkachuk’s goal production. He has scored just six times since Dec. 6.)

There is intensifying speculation that Walt is headed East, to his hometown Bruins or possibly the Rangers. If the Islanders could get a first-round pick for Comrie and Campoli, then the Blues ought to be able to fetch one for Tkachuk.

Tkachuk’s departure would clear a spot for Yan Stastny, currently on a conditioning assignment with the Peoria Rivermen.

RETURN OF THE ROMANATOR

The Blues are much better defensively with rugged Roman Polak back in the mix. His return cost Steve Wagner his spot — but then again, Wagner’s disastrous defensive turnovers made his demotion a no-brainer.

Hockey Guy is still on the Wagner bandwagon, but he must use the rest of this AHL season to clean up what Murray likes to call “puck management.”

THE SELLOFF CONTINUES

The unspeakably bad Islanders gathered up another first-round pick by pitching finesse players Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli to the Senators.

Comrie, a center, had played in Ottawa before. He gives this former juggernaut some offensive depth - and an alternative to indifferent center Jason Spezza, whose listless play confounds team management.

Campoli, an offensive defenseman, gives the Senators another puck mover for the blue line. Hockey Guy is not surprised to read that he wanted off the Island.

In addition to the first-round pick, which originally belonged to San Jose, the Islanders also got well-traveled former Blues forward Dean McAmmond in the deal. Poor Dean.

Playing for a team that plays for lottery picks year after year after year is not fun.

Ottawa GM Bryan Murray is scrambling to keep his job, so he isn’t done dealing. He still has his own first-round pick to deal, should he decide to keep buying.

AROUND THE RINKS: Avalanche winger Ryan Smyth is shrugging off trade rumors. He is in the second year of a five-year deal paying $31.25 million. He has a no-movement clause, so the team would need his permission to move him. Perhaps Edmonton would be willing to take on that kind of money, since Smythe was once regarded as that team’s cornerstone player. Many Eastern Conference contenders would covet him, too, but not many have that sort of cap flexibility . . . The Alexei Kovalev mystery continues to play out in Montreal, where GM Bob Gainey must figure out what to do with his mercurial winger . . . With that team in turmoil, Gainey must be eager to hit the restart button and send a huge package of players to Tampa Bay for Vincent Lecavalier . . . HockeyBuzz.com is trumpeting a deal between Edmonton and Pittsburgh, sending Erik Cole to the Penguins . . . Daniel Briere is almost ready to return to the Philly lineup, which means the Flyers needs to clear cap space . . . Maxim Afinogenov, a player Blues fans have eyed all season, might get a shot at redemption in Buffalo. The Sabres are dealing with the long-term loss of top gun Thomas Vanek to a badly broken jaw . . . It turns out Blackhawks scorer Patrick Sharp has an injured shoulder, not an injured knee. The good news for Chicago: Martin Havlat has stayed healthy for a change, inspiring management to talk contract extension with him . . . New Senators coach Cory Clouston has shifted Ottawa into an attacking, up-tempo mode. So far, so good . . . Radek Bonk’s strong play at center for the Predators has made him an asset as the trade deadline nears . . . The Bruins are only of many teams intrigued by Leafs defenseman Tomas Kaberle, but Toronto GM Brian Burke is asking for an arm, a leg and some toes as well . . . The Boston Globe notes that Phil Kessel, who has gone 13 games without scoring a goal, has been removed from the Bruins power play for the time being . . . Charles Linglet thanked the Blues for trading him out of Peoria and giving him a fresh start elsewhere in the AHL. “I felt like I was digging a hole I couldn’t get out of,” Linglet told the Peoria Journal-Star. “I just never found my game.”