The Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets wrap up their season sequence on Wednesday night time in Denver, and each groups are hoping to rebound from disappointing losses on Monday.
Colorado had a flat efficiency in a 3-1 house loss to Minnesota and missed an opportunity to leap the Wild within the Central Division, whereas Winnipeg had what coach Scott Arniel mentioned was an “embarrassing efficiency” at Utah.
The distinction is the Jets have extra room for error. They’re comfortably atop the Central Division with the second-most factors within the NHL whereas the Avalanche try to scramble out of wild-card purgatory.
That made the lackluster offensive effort towards Minnesota extra irritating for coach Jared Bednar, who has lamented his workforce’s sluggish begins of late. His gamers acknowledge that.
“Up till the final 10 minutes, there wasn’t a lot urgency all through,” Cale Makar mentioned. “We have got to verify we discover that early and play the entire recreation like that.”
Colorado has gotten more healthy these days and will get top-six ahead Valeri Nichushkin again quickly from a lower-body damage that has stored him out of the final 10 video games.
When he has performed, Nichushkin’s presence makes issues simpler on the highest traces. He has 11 targets in 21 video games and is a pressure in entrance of the online. He additionally makes teammates like Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen extra harmful.
MacKinnon continues to steer the NHL in scoring with 74 factors (18 targets, 56 assists), Rantanen is sixth with 63 factors (25 targets, 38 assists) and Makar, with 52 factors (15 targets, 37 assists), is the highest-scoring defenseman.
Even with that expertise, the Avalanche have but to resolve Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, who leads all NHL goalies in wins (28), save share (.927), goals-against common (2.02) and shutouts (six). Two of these shutouts have come towards Colorado, and he may very well be again in internet after permitting 4 targets to Utah.
The Jets could also be with out captain Adam Lowry, who left Monday’s recreation after the primary interval. Lowry slid awkwardly into the boards within the first, returned to play a couple of shifts, however did not play after the intermission.
Arniel did not have an replace on Lowry postgame and Winnipeg didn’t observe Tuesday.
Lowry is seventh on the workforce in scoring with 26 factors (11 targets, 15 assists). Kyle Connor’s 60 factors (26 targets, 34 assists) and Mark Scheifele 54 factors (27 targets, 27 assists) set the tempo for the Jets.
Winnipeg is simply 4-4-2 in its final 10 video games and has dropped its final two. The second loss — 5-2 at Utah — was bothersome to Arniel and the gamers due to the way in which they performed.
“That isn’t Winnipeg Jets hockey,” Nikolaj Ehlers mentioned. “It isn’t the primary time this yr we have performed this fashion and when you do not play the proper means on this league, would not matter who you are taking part in towards, you are not successful that recreation and also you’re letting our goalies down.”
Winnipeg has received two of the primary three video games towards the Avalanche, with the house workforce holding serve in every recreation.
–Area Stage Media
