3 reasons Colorado Avalanche will win series vs Jets
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.
2. Zach Parise’s last chance at a Stanley Cup
For a player who was on a rival team for nine seasons, the Colorado Avalanche want to win the whole thing for Zach Parise.
Parise played the Colorado Avalanche a lot during his time on other teams. In 51 games against the Avalanche, he had 19 goals, 27 assists, and a plus-minus of +14.
After 18 years, Parise has yet to win a Stanley Cup. In his 19th and final season in the league, this should be enough motivation to do all they can to win it all. Parise confirmed that this will be his last rodeo in the NHL, and while teams want to win the Cup every year (duh), there is even more pressure for the team to have Lord Stanley return to the Mile High City.
It also could be the last chance for a few others on the team, including Jack Johnson, who is 37 years old and could be seeing his final weeks as a member of the Colorado Avalanche.
1. Alexandar Georgiev has woken up after Game 1
Like I have said in the past, I was not a big fan of goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. I just have felt like he lets in a lot of soft goals. But after the team’s 7-6 loss in Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets, Georgiev has woken up.
Georgiev has not allowed more than two goals in each of the Avalanche’s last two games of the series, giving the team a huge advantage. His play has elevated in the last two games, and I feel like that has given the team a lot of confidence. Colorado has outscored the Jets 16-5 during the last three games.
Before the series, I had suggested that Justus Annunen should start the first game of the series. While Annunen had been out sick, Georgiev has been very good. While he has a save percentage of .885 during this year’s postseason, a lot of those goals were in one game.
I will be curious to see if Georgiev will be able to hold his own for the remainder of the playoffs. At this point, there are few concerns, but I’ll be curious to see if he can keep it up.
manual