The Colorado Avalanche will face another division rival on Saturday night. The Avalanche square off against the Winnipeg Jets in a key divisional matchup.
The Avs trail the Jets by five points in the standings and could close the gap even further with a win in regulation. At one point, the Jets seemed to have an insurmountable lead on the Avs. But Colorado has gotten hot and the Jets have cooled off.
So, let’s take a look ahead to the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets facing off on Saturday night.
Looking ahead to Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets
Saturday night’s tilt marks the second time this season both teams meet. The last time these two clubs played was on November 7, with the Jets taking home a 1-0 victory.
Gabriel Vilardi got the lone goal in that game, with the Avs failing to beat Connor Hellebuyck. Alexandar Georgiev made 27 saves in that game. It was a tough loss, especially considering the Avs wasted a strong outing from Georgiev.
Now, what’s interesting about that game was the Avs fell to 6-8-0 on the season, with the Jets scorching hot at 13-1-0. But as we’ve outlined, the Jets have cooled off.
The Avs are 8-1-1 in their last 10, while the Jets are 6-3-1. Of course, the Jets’ record is not bad at all, but it pales in comparison with their 13-1 record on November 7.
This time around, the Jets will face a much tougher test, with a fully healthy Colorado side looking to extend their current winning streak to two games.
Coach Jared Bednar has shuffled lines around somewhat, reuniting Nathan MacKinnon with Jonathan Drouin and Mikko Rantanen. That group was fantastic against the Minnesota Wild in their last outing.
Similarly, the new-look second line featuring Juuso Parssinen at center with Ross Colton and Artturi Lehkonen on the wings figures to continue rolling. Colton was on fire before breaking his foot in November. Since returning, Colton has looked great but hasn’t quite rekindled the magic he showed prior to the injury.
Casey Mittelstadt has fallen to the third line, centering two solid wingers in Joel Kivranta and Logan O’Connor. Indeed, the Avs miss Miles Wood’s grit in the bottom six. But the club has managed to play solid defense in spite of Wood’s absence.
The fourth line continues to be a living experiment. The Avs have not found a consistent combination of players to round out the fourth unit. While part of that has been the result of injuries, inconsistency has also played a key role.
Hopefully, the fourth line will emerge as a strength against the Jets could can consistently roll out three scoring lines. It remains to be seen just how much Bednar will deploy the fourth unit against a Jets team that will certainly be tough to beat.
Ultimately, Saturday night’s game should be much different than November 7’s tilt. The two clubs are trending in different directions, potentially leading to the most entertaining game of the evening.