The Jets face a tough four-point test Friday against the Avalanche, leaning on Connor Hellebuyck to counter ongoing offensive struggles against a divisional rival.
The Winnipeg Jets are back in action Friday as they continue their brief road trip with one of their most challenging games of the season. After experiencing offensive woes as of late but also having stellar in-net play from star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck keeping them in games, the Jets now look to take down the Colorado Avalanche.
The top seed in the league has been nearly perfect this season with Colorado suffering just two regulation losses through their first 33 games.
The Jets and Aves are more than familiar with each other as divisional rivals with Friday's game offering a massive four-point swing for the winner as they take home two points while also preventing a divisional rival from doing the same. It'll be a challenging test for a Jets team that has exhausted all their options upfront and will need to find more answers for an Avalanche team that ranks first in team defense.
Lineup Storylines
The Jets are expected to keep their lines the same as their last few games as they were very successful in their win over the Washington Capitals last Saturday. However, in their two games since then, they've dropped them both with the offense producing just two goals. Depth scoring is becoming the growing theme on this team with many struggling forwards and seemingly no bounce back games coming.
The most notable name of this group is Cole Perfetti, the top-six winger many were hoping was going to take a step forward this season and help midigate the loss of Nikolaj Ehlers. The 23-year-old was expected to build off his breakout 50-point campaign last season but hasn't done much to show that he's going to come even remotely close to hitting the 50-point mark again.
His 0.37 point-per-game average, with seven points in 19 games since returning from injury, is in line with bottom line winger Morgan Barron, who is having a solid season for a depth forward but Perfetti should be far outpacing him.
Jets captain Adam Lowry isn't particularly known as an offensive threat but rather a prolific two-way player but even his numbers have looking very concerning as of late as he's recorded just five points in 21 games this season after recording 34 or more points in each of the last three seasons. He's expected to fall well short of his mark as he's on pace for 16 points.
Lowry and his third line with Morgan Barron and Alex Iafallo need to get something going while Perfetti and the second unit with Vladislav Namestnikov and Nino Niederreiter need to do the same. They especially need to bring it when playing a team like Colorado, who won't miss their mark and will do their best to make sure they kick down the door and burry any team in sight.
The Avalanche have seen their team's top line generate most of the offense similarly to the Jets with center Nathan MacKinnon leading the league in scoring with 58 points in 33 games. His unit with Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen has been near perfect all season but what's even more scary is the rest of their forward group.
Their second line with lethal scoring threats in Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin while being centered by a solid two-way contributor in Brock Nelson has been another one of the many reasons for this team's success as they also can add the offensive production of a top line while Nelson is able to shut down some of the league's best forwards.
Beyond their top lines, Colorado boasts impressive forward depth, with several lower-line players making meaningful contributions. One example is late offseason addition Victor Olofsson, who has recorded 19 points in 33 games this season, more than all but four players on the Winnipeg Jets. That depth could pose serious challenges for Winnipeg, forcing the Jets into a tight, competitive game and potentially serving as a wake-up call for their offense.
Player & Betting Trends (Presented By BetMGM)
WPG ML (+220) | COL ML (-278)
WPG +1.5 (-115) | COL -1.5 (-105)
O/U 6.0 Goals
Friday’s contest marks the 64th meeting between the two teams, with Winnipeg owning a 14-10-8 road record all time against Colorado. The Jets have had the upper hand recently as well, winning six of the last seven matchups, including the last two heading into this game.
Historically, these meetings have often been tightly checked, defensive battles, with five or fewer total goals in three of their last four games. However, looking further back, offense has surfaced more frequently, as six or more goals have been scored in 11 of the past 16 encounters.
What kind of game unfolds Friday remains uncertain as both teams feature elite goaltending playing at a high level, but an early Winnipeg lead could open things up as Colorado pushes to respond. For that to happen, the Jets will likely need a strong performance from top-line winger Gabe Vilardi, who has 14 points in his last 12 games and has been especially effective against the Avalanche.
Vilardi has scored in seven of his last nine games versus Colorado, totaling eight goals. On the other side, the ever-present threat is Nathan MacKinnon, who currently leads the league in scoring alongside Edmonton’s Connor McDavid and has torched Winnipeg for 36 points, including 12 multi-point games, over his last 25 contests against the Jets.
Goalie Matchup
Winnipeg: Connor Hellebuyck (Season: 9-7-1 record, 2.36 GAA, .918 SV% | VS COL: 16-7-4 record, 2.69 GAA, .918 SV% in 27 games)
Colorado: Mackenzie Blackwood (Season: 10-1-1 record, 2.26 GAA, .920 SV% | VS WPG: 4-3-2 record, 2.85 GAA, .900 SV% in 11 games)
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