Tonight at Ball Arena, it could be a goaltending battle for the ages.

Scott Wedgewood will get the start for the Colorado Avalanche as they open the first of four regular-season meetings with the Winnipeg Jets, facing reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck at the opposite end of the ice.

Wedgewood Returns to Form

After a strong start to the season, Wedgewood worked his way back into the rotation following a minor back issue and has quickly reasserted himself among the league’s most effective goaltenders. Dallas Stars netminder Jake Oettinger and Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka currently lead the NHL with 15 wins apiece. Wedgewood, meanwhile, sits one win back in a five-way tie for second with 14, alongside Logan Thompson, Igor Shesterkin, Jeremy Swayman, and Sergei Bobrovsky.

It is a distinguished group by any measure, though Bobrovsky stands apart—having backstopped the Florida Panthers to consecutive Stanley Cup championships—underscoring the caliber of company Wedgewood now keeps.

Wedgewood enters the matchup with a 14–1–4 record, a 2.11 goals-against average, and a .920 save percentage. Hellebuyck, long regarded as one of the NHL’s premier goaltenders, currently sits at 9–7 with a 2.36 GAA and a .918 save percentage. The reigning MVP is still working his way back after undergoing knee surgery nearly a month ago, a factor that helps explain the dip in his numbers, though he remains a difficult goaltender to solve.

Avs Continue Epic Run

The Avalanche lead the NHL with a league-best 24–2–7 record. Nathan MacKinnon, who leads the league in goals (28) and is tied for first in points (58) while ranking fifth in assists (30), is coming off a three-point performance Tuesday that included two goals in a 5–3 win over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. Samuel Girard scored his first goal of the season, Brock Nelson added another to give him seven goals in his last 10 games, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 35 saves on 38 shots in the victory.

Recent history, however, favors Winnipeg. The Jets have won six of their last seven regular season meetings with the Avalanche, including a 3–0 shutout on January 11. Winnipeg forward Gabriel Vilardi has also found the scoresheet in two of his last three games against Colorado.

That said, this Avalanche group looks different from the team that dropped a 3–2 game to the Jets on January 22. Mikko Rantanen, Jonathan Drouin, Jere Innala, Casey Mittelstadt, and Juuso Parssinen are no longer with the organization. And we could argue that the team that'll take the ice tonight is a lot deeper than the team we had a month ago.

Jets Struggling to Score Goals

The problem for the Jets this season is that they haven't been providing much offensive support. Their 98 goals on the year is actually the fourth-lowest in the Central Division, while the Avalanche have posted 133 goals on the season, which leads the NHL. Winnipeg is coming off a 1-0 loss to the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center on Wednesday. And therein lies the problem. Hellebuyck was nearly perfect on the night with 25 saves on 26 shots, but the offense couldn't get the puck in the net.

Kyle Connor leads the Jets in points (41) and assists (26) and ranks third on the team in goals (15).

Mark Scheifele, meanwhile, is tied for the team lead in goals (16) and sits second in both points (40) and assists (24).

Start Time

It should be an interesting game. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. local time.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.