The Colorado Avalanche face the Winnipeg Jets for the second consecutive time on Saturday night. Just two nights ago, they won 3-2, with two scores from Nathan MacKinnon and the other one from Jack Drury. Connor Hellebuyck held his ground quite well, but not well enough.
This time, the two teams head to Colorado for the same matchup. Now, the Avalanche get home-ice advantage while Winnipeg struggles a little bit with the travelling.
Who head coach Jared Bednar puts in net against Connor Hellebuyck has yet to be confirmed as of this article, but given that it isn’t a back-to-back, and also how Mackenzie Blackwood played on Thursday, I could see Bednar going back to Blackwood. Hilariously, it might end up that it will be Wedgewood now that I predicted Blackwood will get the start.
Thankfully, it’s hard to go wrong with either choice. Both goaltenders have been solid this season, having save percentages above .900, plus at least 20 wins. Of course, those statistics cause everyone in Avs Nation to wonder why and how neither are even considered in the Vezina trophy discussions.
As for the team’s depth, it has been discussed as the best depth the team has had since the most recent Stanley Cup team. They’ve got elite scoring on the top two lines, and depth pieces who are very reliable. This gives the team some options if they pull off the win on Saturday.
The reason is that, if they do win, they will lock up the division crown. That means that they wouldn’t have much else to play for until the postseason begins. With that in mind, there is not much reason to have stars like Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog play more minutes than they really need to. There is a balance between playing and keeping up hockey shape and over exerting yourself.
We’ve already talked about the fact that the Olympics were tough on them. It could have played a part in some recent injuries. They’ve played more hockey than they ever have, this season. Having a little bit of a break each game could lead to those players playing a lot more in the postseason, when everything is on the line.
Regardless of the decisions Bednar makes down the stretch, the Avalanche are the team to beat. I wouldn’t be shocked if we see top line time on ice minutes go down over the next 11 games.