The Colorado Avalanche are up against the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 in the first round of the 2023-24 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. They faced some odds due to the Jets beating them all three times in the regular season, but after the first game in the postseason, they have stepped up their game.
The Avalanche are trying to get back to the Finals for the first time since winning the cup just two seasons ago. They fell short in the first round against the Seattle Kraken last season, the first year after their most recent Cup victory.
It has been a rocky road for the Avalanche this season. Despite Alexandar Georgiev’s league-leading 38 regular season wins, he has been very up and down, allowing a lot of goals fairly often.
The additions of several players such as Sean Walker, Casey Mittelstadt, Brandon Duhaime, and Yakov Trenin have been awesome to monitor, including shipping off Bo Byram to the Buffalo Sabres.
The Colorado Avalanche’s focus is now in playoff gear, and with a 3-1 lead in the series, the Avalanche are looking to close out the first round and head to Round 2.
Here are three reasons the Colorado Avalanche will win the series once and for all.
3. The Colorado Avalanche know what this series means
So, what does this series mean for the Colorado Avalanche? Well, Going 0-3 against the Winnipeg Jets in the regular season sucked. Now, the Avs are getting some revenge and are heating up.
Surprisingly, this is the very first series between the Colorado Avalanche and Winnipeg Jets… ever. I guess it makes some sense given the Jets just came back in 2011, while the Avalanche have been around since the mid-90s.
I felt like the Avalanche played somewhat poorly late in the regular season. It had me concerned. I did not want to see that type of team enter the playoffs. When the Avalanche lost Game 1, despite scoring six goals, giving up seven goals was certainly a cause for concern.
A Colorado Avalanche series victory would allow the Avalanche to have bragging rights, but it also would help the team’s confidence. I have seen some of the players show frustration during losses—particularly Georgiev. There’s hardly been any of that as of late, and for good reason. I think the Avalanche just wanted to get out of the regular season as soon as they possibly could.