Red-hot Jets set to face Avalanche for first time since ugly playoff exit
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The Winnipeg Jets have stormed out of the gate this season, bouncing back from an ugly first-round exit at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche in the playoffs last spring.
The Jets picked up a 7-6 win over the Avalanche in Game 1 before losing four straight to Colorado, seeing their season end with a 6-3 loss on home ice in Game 5. That loss marked the final game of Rick Bowness' career as the team's head coach retired a week later.
Winnipeg has dominated opponents this season under the promoted Scott Arniel, sitting atop the NHL standings at 12-1-0. The Jets will face the Avalanche (6-7-1) for the first time this year on Thursday in the first of four meetings between the two teams this season.
Viewers in the Jets region can watch the game LIVE on TSN3, TSN.ca and the TSN App at 7p.m. CT.
Avalanche struggling with goals allowed
While it's been a dream start to the year in Winnipeg, the Avalanche are still trying to claw their way out of a season-opening four-game losing skid that has encapsulated their struggles so far.
The Avalanche were outscored 25-13 over those first four games, and while the team has produced goals, keeping the puck out of their own net has been a struggle.
Colorado has given up a total of 54 goals this season, with a league-worst 4.15 goals allowed per game. Opening-day starter Alexander Georgiev has struggled mightily, going 1-4-0 with a .822 save percentage and a 4.62 goals-against average.
Justus Annunen appears to be taking over the starting gig, and owns a 5-2-0 record with a .893 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA. Waiver claim Kaapo Kahkonen lost his lone start this season, allowing four goals on 20 shots in a 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The goals against have come despite the Avalanche conceding the second-fewest shots against per game at an average of just 25.2 per game. The goals have piled up on the penalty kill, which is operating at a success rate of 68.6 per cent - the fourth-worst mark in the league.
Despite a rash of injuries to their forward group, Colorado continues to produce offensively to try to overcome their goaltending woes. The Avalanche rank ninth in goals scored per game at 3.59 and their power play is operating a 37 per cent success rate – second best in the league behind the Jets (44.4 per cent).
Much of the team's offence has been supplied by reigning Hart Trophy winner Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 25 points this season, and Cale Makar, who is on a historic pace to start the campaign.
The team received a scare when Makar, who has five goals and sits second in the league with 23 points, “tweaked something” in Tuesday's win over the Seattle Kraken. Makar will, however, travel to Winnipeg for Thursday and may have a chance to extend his season-opening points streak to 14 games.
"He's okay. He's making the trip," head coach Jared Bednar said of the star blueliner Wednesday. "Wants to see if he's feeling good enough to go tomorrow."
The Avalanche have been streaky team through a limited sample size this season. Their four-game losing skid was followed by five straight wins, followed by a three-game losing skid that was snapped Tuesday.
Jets ready to pounce on Avs' weakness?
Colorado's struggles to limit opposing offences could spell trouble against a Jets team that leads the league with an average of 4.77 goals per game.
Trying to outscore the red-hot Jets, could also be a struggle as the Winnipeg is conceding just 2.31 goals per game, the second-best mark in the NHL behind only the New York Rangers (2.18).
In contrast to the Avalanche, the Jets have successfully leaned on starter Connor Hellebuyck, who has a league-best 9-1-0 record. The 31-year-old netminder has a .923 save percentage and a 2.10 goals-against average this season and could be looking for revenge after a rough playoff series in the spring.
"You have to give the Colorado Avalanche some kudos for what they did, but looking back, I don't know if I even saw half of the pucks go in the net," Hellebuyck said in May after posting a .870 save percentage and a 5.23 GAA over the five games. "They did a great job, but for me to not be able to put my foot down on a single game is really heartbreaking because it's not typically how I do things."
The Jets enter Thursday's contest riding a four-game winning streak after their lone loss of the year, outscoring opponents 22-8 over that stretch.
Spotlight atop the Central Division
Winnipeg will have a chance to extend their lead in the Central Division and send a clear message to contenders over their next two games.
A home contest against the Dallas Stars (7-4-0) is on tap for Saturday following Thursday's game, with the two games against potential playoff opponents providing another measuring stick for the Jets in the early season.
Arniel set the stage for the matchups after earning a 3-0 win over the competitive Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday.
"Obviously, you go into every game hoping to win every game and planning to win every game," Arniel said, per the team website. "It doesn’t always work itself out. Our depth and our different ways of scoring and different ways of winning games, these are hopefully all things we’re building confidence to do this, we still have 70 to go or whatever.
"We’re all real excited about what’s happened but this is our big divisional week, starting with Utah here tonight. Two points. We know who is coming in here next. Colorado and Dallas. One thing about this group that we’ve done, that’s focus on our opponent, and then once that’s done, reset and got ready for the next opponent.”