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DENVER — The Winnipeg Jets find themselves smack dab in the middle of the land of opportunity.
This date with the Colorado Avalanche isn’t just a marquee matchup in Game 80, it’s a chance to grab a significant leg up in the chase for home ice in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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Having last change is something both head coaches would like to have in what looks to be an exciting, coin-flip type of series.
The Jets are riding a five-game winning streak and coming off one of the most complete efforts of the entire season — if not the most impressive one.
Can they match that against a hungry Avalanche team that has won just two of the past five games, including Tuesday’s 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild?
“Obviously, we’re coming down the wire and we want to be feeling good going into the playoffs and have our game in the right place,” said Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey. “For us to find a way to win the Nashville game, obviously not having totally our best stuff. Then we played probably our most complete game against a really, really good hockey team that we’ve done in probably a few months.
“It just means that we know that it’s there and it feels good. To replicate it? It’s effort. It’s hard to play that way, especially in a tough environment, on the road against a really good team. Guys are blocking shots, guys are giving that little extra five per cent of effort is what it is and attention to detail. It’s hard, but it’s rewarding. That’s what we’re going to need here in the next week and then obviously, hopefully for the next few months.”
Any little edge could end up making the difference in a playoff series between the Jets and Avalanche, so expect both clubs to bring their best in the third and final meeting of the season.
The Jets won the first two, posting a 4-2 win here in Denver on Dec. 7 and a 6-2 decision in Winnipeg just over a week later.
Both rosters had some key additions since that time, with the Jets adding centre Sean Monahan, winger Tyler Toffoli and depth defenceman Colin Miller, while the Avalanche signed veteran forward Zach Parise as a free agent, then traded for centre Casey Mittelstadt from the Buffalo Sabres, defenceman Sean Walker from the Philadelphia Flyers, forward Yakov Trenin from the Nashville Predators and Brandon Duhaime from the Minnesota Wild.
The Avalanche also lost right-winger Logan O’Connor to a season-ending injury and shipped out skilled blue-liner Bowen Byram in the deal with the Sabres.
“What it seemed like they did was add some depth and some guys that are tough to play against, like Trenin and Duhaime, who we played lots in Nashville and Minnesota over the years. They’re hard-working, physical players. They added some grit and depth throughout their lineup,” said Morrissey. “They bolstered their team, just like we did. We haven’t seen them since before they made their moves and we made ours, so you can expect a deeper lineup on both sides.”
Winnipeg Jets’ Josh Morrissey (44) plays against the Nashville Predators during the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn. (Mark Humphrey / The Associated Press)
For those wondering, the Avalanche close out the campaign with games against the Vegas Golden Knights (who punched their ticket to the playoffs on Friday but are battling for third in the Pacific Division) and the Edmonton Oilers, while the Jets face the Seattle Kraken and Vancouver Canucks next week.
That means there still could be some twists and turns on the horizon, but there is no doubt a clean win Saturday will put one of these teams in the driver’s seat for home-ice advantage in the first round.
Although the Jets’ focus is clearly on trying to replicate the effort they put out in Thursday’s tidy 3-0 victory over the Dallas Stars, attempting to contain Hart Trophy front-runner Nathan MacKinnon will be a top priority.
MacKinnon is up to 51 goals and 137 points and has recorded at least one point in all but one home game this season.
“He’s certainly in that (Hart Trophy) conversation and he deserves to be,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “He’s elite. He’s an elite skater. He’s worth the price of admission. As a hockey fan I would pay to go watch him play. He’s that talented, that fast, and that exciting to watch. It’s his acceleration from a stand still, his ability to stop, turn, and not lose any speed.
“Most guys have to get going again with a couple strides, he takes one stride and he’s at full speed. He has incredible skills and hockey IQ. He’s a very competitive guy, don’t underestimate that. He’s a competitive guy that wants to win. He’s one tough guy to coach against, but I love watching him play.”
As for the lineups, the Jets are expected to go with the same 18 skaters that dressed on Thursday, though Bowness mentioned there are a couple of question marks since a few players are playing through some bumps and bruises.
For the Avalanche, they should receive a boost with the return of power forward Mikko Rantanen, who missed the past two games after he took a big hit from Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm and was placed in concussion protocol.
Connor Hellebuyck is set to make his 59th start of the regular season in net for the Jets, while the Avalanche are expected to counter with Alexandar Georgiev.
Here’s some other information to get you ready:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: So, I’m driving home from St. Paul, Minn., on Friday and, over the course of a few hours during the evening, had the chance to catch audio of all five NHL games that were on the schedule.
Naturally, the subject of the playoffs was a common theme running throughout the broadcasts, with just one week left until the quest for Lord Stanley begins. Various hosts, commentators and analysts weighed in at different times with their thoughts on the top contenders, and I heard numerous teams mentioned on multiple occasions: Carolina. Boston. Toronto. Florida. Tampa Bay. The New York Rangers. Dallas. Colorado. Edmonton. Vancouver. Nashville. Los Angeles. Even Vegas, who hadn’t even officially punched their ticket until they downed the Minnesota Wild in the final tilt of the night. Notice anyone missing? That’s right. Your Winnipeg Jets.
Are they the Rodney Dangerfield of the NHL? You know, getting no respect? This is the same Jets club, I’ll remind you, that was referred to as “the biggest frauds” on a recent episode of the wildly popular Spittin’ Chiclets podcast (one of the hosts was quoting an unnamed player from a rival club, apparently).
Does any of this matter? Of course not. Talk is cheap. But it struck me how many folks might just be sleeping on the Jets, who enter play today tied for 7th in the NHL in point percentage (and tied for 3rd in the Western Conference behind only the Stars, who they just beat, and the Canucks, who they’ve also beaten this year while on the road). Another win today to cap off a perfect 4-0-0 trip through the Central Division might just open a few more eyes. Or, maybe not.
Regardless, Winnipeg’s play against Dallas was quite a good look, and the squad will be a tough out in the playoffs if it can bottle that style of play.
The race for the Jennings Trophy is essentially down to two teams — Winnipeg, which has surrendered a league-best 194 goals over 79 games, and Florida, which has given up 196 over 80 games. The Jets face Colorado, Seattle and Vancouver (which might have nothing to play for by Thursday and could opt to rest several key players), while the Panthers have Buffalo and Toronto left on their card. May the stingiest team win!
To that extent, Laurent Brossoit HAS to get in today’s game, even if just for a minute, if his name is to be on the trophy should the Jets ultimately claim it. He’s appeared in 22 games, and a goaltender must have 25 in a season in order to qualify. Will the Jets find a way to sneak him in at some point in all three remaining contests? I suspect that’s low on the priority list, especially with plenty still at stake, but we’ll soon find out.
KEN SAYS: This is another “show me” type of game for the Jets as the regular season winds down. No doubt they found the ingredients in the cupboard to produce an excellent effort against the Stars on Thursday to avoid being swept. Can they get close to matching that effort against MacKinnon, Rantanen, Cale Makar and company? If they can, then the Jets will have a lot of things to feel good about.
As Morrissey pointed out in our discussion on Friday inside Magness Arena, home of the University of Denver Pioneers (who are in the final of the NCAA Frozen Four championship on Saturday), neither team is winning the Stanley Cup on Saturday but they’ll both be looking to set the tone for Game 1 against one another in a game that could come as early as next Sunday.
One thing I’ll be watching closely is the play of Neal Pionk. He’s having a strong bounce back season, but he’s looked a bit banged up of late and that’s impacted his mobility at times. Pionk brushed off a question about playing through bumps and bruises I asked him recently, noting it was something that comes with the territory.
Here’s what Bowness said about Pionk’s play of late:
“He was better (against the Stars). He struggled a little bit in Nashville. No question,” said Bowness. “But one thing about Neal is he’s a competitive guy and he’s an honest guy. He knows when he doesn’t play well. He’s quick to turn it around and fix what went wrong. He studies video a lot, he works a lot with (Scott Arniel). Again, he’s a competitive guy. Competitive guys are honest with themselves, they know when they have a bad game, a bad shift, or a bad mistake, and they correct it. Give him a lot of credit for that.”
It was an excellent bounceback game for Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers, who notched the 200th goal of his NHL career on Thursday, just two days after being benched for a good chunk of the third period and seeing a season-low 9:37 of ice time. The Jets need him to be explosive once again.
As for the Avalanche, I gained a great appreciation for how they operate and for just how great the trio of MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen are when I was fortunate enough to cover their run through the Western Conference final over the Edmonton Oilers and the Stanley Cup triumph over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Their high-end talent is exceptional and they’re a driven bunch that play the game the right way. MacKinnon already has a goal and four points in two games against the Jets this season and he’s coming off a hat trick — and four-point performance — which included a goal where he absolutely blew past Wild defenceman Jacob Middleton with his blazing speed.
MacKinnon has 15 goals and 38 points in 38 career games against the Jets, while Mark Scheifele has 12 goals and 38 points in 34 career games against the Avalanche.
Scheifele was excellent the other night at both ends of the ice against the Stars and he’ll need to be once again.
As mentioned in the opening, this is the first meeting since both teams made significant additions — and Byram is a significant deletion — so I’m curious to see what role the relative newcomers have in this meeting (and moving forward when the opening round begins).
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