Jets improve to 13-1-0 as Hellebuyck shuts out Avalanche

WINNIPEG — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 35 shots for his third shutout this season and 40th of his career as the Jets blanked the Colorado Avalanche 1-0 on Thursday.

Gabriel Vilardi scored the game's lone goal for Winnipeg (13-1-0) in front of 12,918 fans at Canada Life Centre.

It was the first meeting of the NHL clubs since the Avalanche overwhelmed the Jets in last season's first round of playoffs and beat Winnipeg four games to one.

Goaltender Alexandar Georgiev stopped 27 shots for Colorado (6-8-0).

Takeaways

Jets: Jumped on the Avalanche early, with Mark Scheifele setting up Vilardi for only goal just 66 seconds into the match. They had plenty of chances after that but were stoned by Georgiev for the rest of the first two periods as Winnipeg outshot the Avs 24-19 over the first 40 minutes.

Avalanche: After Winnipeg’s goal, Colorado rebounded and generated scoring chances only to either miss the net or be repelled by Hellebuyck.

Key moment

Midway through the second period, Hellebuyck made four saves from his knees on dangerous shots by the Avalanche.

Key stat

Colorado outshot the Jets 17-4 in the third period and 35-28 overall.

Up next

The Jets finish a four-game homestand Saturday against the Dallas Stars. Colorado heads home to host the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 7, 2024.