The Winnipeg Jets were hosting the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday evening, with the outcome possibly determining who sits atop the Central Division. Our hometown Jets received a bit of break when the Avs’ Cale Makar was unable to go tonight and they would also be facing a young backup goaltender in Ivan Prosvetov. The 24 year old has played well in 9 outings for Colorado, putting up a .919 save percentage, so Winnipeg would still have to put in the work to come out victorious on True North’s South Asian Heritage night.
The Avalanche opened the game with an early rush and the Jets countered with a chance of their own. Ehlers skated the puck up the ice before finding Morrissey with a pass in the high slot, but the defenseman’s shot sailed just wide of the goal. Both squads were playing top-notch defense early and it took 3 minutes before either goalie was required to make a save. Colorado had a look on Hellebuyck when a forward skated the puck to the top of the right face-off circle, before forcing Bucky to deflect a blast with his blocker. Winnipeg responded when Scheifele lifted an Avs’ player’s stick in the neutral zone to steal the puck and then sprung Vilardi with a pass. The big winger wasn’t going to be able to get in on a clear breakaway, so he tested Prosvetov with a shot low blocker side. The squads traded offensive zone shifts that saw Hellebuyck make a save through a bunch of people in front, followed by a Scheifele line cycle that was frustrated by blocked shots. The Lowry trio followed up with some offensive board work of their own and Morrissey came close when his point shot deflected wide off a body in front. Winnipeg seemed to be controlling the play a bit more as we entered the mid-point of the period, but Colorado was very adept at denying shot lanes. With 7 minutes remaining, the shots were 4 to 2 for the Avs and the Gustafsson line almost opened up the scoring when Schmidt hit Barron with a pass on the fly at the blueline. The big East Coaster split the defense and was in all alone of the goalie, but his backhand move didn’t create enough space to jam the puck home. A bit later, Morrissey won a battle along the left neutral zone boards and skated the puck into the Avs’ zone. The smooth-skating defender cut towards the middle of the ice before hitting Scheifele with a pass in the right face-off circle. The center didn’t have the puck long, as he quickly spotted Vilardi driving to the net from the left wing. A sweet pass by #55 hit the winger perfectly, allowing Gabe to tap it in for his 3rd marker of the year. Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead with 6 minutes to play and immediately were given the chance to add to it on the powerplay when an Avs’ defenseman flipped the puck over the glass. The Jets’ top PP unit controlled play from the start, but even with a minute of possession they couldn’t get a shot on goal due to blocks. The 2nd unit came out and won the face-off, allowing them to quickly work the puck around the perimeter. Iafallo received a pass in the left corner, just as Namestnikov found a bit of room in the low slot. The two combined perfectly and the Russian center was able to give Winnipeg a much-needed powerplay goal, putting them up 2 to 0. The ever-dangerous MacKinnon line jumped over the boards and the talented center ended up springing Nichushkin for a partial break. Pionk opted to interfere with the Colorado forward as much as possible, helping Hellebuyck make a pad save but had to go to the box for 2 minutes to “feel shame“. The Avalanche were able to get set up right away and spent almost the entire advantage in the Jets’ end, but great coverage of the passing lanes and high-danger areas kept them from severely testing Winnipeg’s goalie. Colorado made a last minute press and a shot through traffic hit Hellebuyck in the shoulder, popping up in the air. Fortunately Scheifele was in deep playing defense, allowing him to bat the puck away from danger with his hand. The top line had one last look when Vilardi stretched a pass to Scheifele with the seconds dwindling away. Number 55 attempted a move to his backhand, but Prosvetov stayed with him to make the pad save. An interesting first period that saw some big bodychecks by Colorado’s Manson and Winnipeg’s Lowry & Dillon, but the home team goes into the dressing room with a two goal lead.
First Period Stats: Score: 2 to 0 for the Jets, shots 6 to 6 tie, 61.2% Deserve To Win for the Jets, Expected Goals – all situations (0.52-0.21 WPG), & 5 on 5 (0.38-0.19 WPG)
Winnipeg had an early chance to add to their lead when Ehlers was high-sticked, but while the first unit controlled the puck, their attempts to set up quality looks were broken up or blocked. This time, the 2nd group couldn’t get established in Colorado’s zone so the teams returned to even strength. The teams traded some low quality looks before Gustafsson rushed up the ice, ringing his shot off the goaltender’s mask. The 4th and 1st lines followed up with some cycle shifts, before the Avalanche replied with back-to-back offensive zone shifts (55 stuck on for a full 2 mins). Lowry was finally to end the Avs’ dominance by clearing the zone and the Gustafsson trio came on to set up in the offensive zone. Winnipeg swapped lines while maintaining possession, allowing the Namestnikov group on the ice. When a Colorado defenseman tried to force a pass up the middle of the ice in his effort to end the pressure, Iafallo was there to knock the puck down. The American winger took a couple steps in the slot, using his centerman to screen the tender, before releasing a powerful backhand shot that easily beat Prosvetov’s blocker. The refs started to “miss” Colorado penalties in an attempt to make the game more interesting, as Scheifele was hauled down and vented his frustration towards the officials. That didn’t stop Winnipeg from almost adding to their goal total, as Ehlers intercepted a pass before ringing the puck high off the goal post. The Avalanche had two offensive zone shifts, but once again the Jets’ defense was sturdy and denied the high-danger opportunities. Barron had a glorious chance off a rebound and then Scheifele set up Ehlers for a bad angle chance at the side of the net. In a collision of big bodies, Manson caught Lowry at Winnipeg’s bench, sending the Jets’ captain teetering part on & part off the ice. Hellebuyck had to make some big saves late in the 2nd, including a blocker denial from a mid-danger spot. Colorado continued to push and had Bucky beat after successive cross-ice passes got him out of position. A Selke-esque play by Ehlers saw the Dane put his body on the line to block the 1 timer attempt. The 4th line ended with another quality shift, with both Jonsson-Fjallby and Barron getting shots on Prosvetov. The Avs’ tender made some big saves, keeping Winnipeg’s lead only at three as the teams entered the 2nd intermission.
After Two Periods Stats Score: 3 to 0 for the Jets, shots 15 to 13 for the Jets, 65.5% Deserve to Win for the Jets, Expected Goals – all situations (1.28-0.62 WPG) & 5 on 5 (0.93-0.60 WPG)
A careless stick by Morrissey on the opening shift opened the comeback door for Colorado and despite multiple saves by Hellebuyck while short-handed, an unfortunate bounce off the backboards allowed Drouin to bat the puck into an almost empty net. A tenacious forecheck by the Gustafsson trio saw the Avalanche ice the puck, giving the Jets’ top unit an offensive zone face-off. A win on the draw for Scheifele saw the puck quickly go d-to-d, allowing Morrissey to blast a shot on net. Vilardi was in the dirty area for the rebound, grabbing the puck and bringing it around the goaltender’s out-stretched pads to tuck in his second of the night and immediately respond for Winnipeg. With the game 4 to 1, Colorado really started to control the flow, helped by a hand on puck penalty to Ehlers. The Avs had a few shots on the PP, but their biggest look was denied when DeMelo’s good positioning stopped a rebound attempt on a wide open net. Nate Schmidt also made a good defensive play on a 3 on 2 chance, with a reach and poke check turning Winnipeg the other way. The Namestnikov trio spent a cycle shift that saw Perfetti hauled down (no call), then Colorado broke out the other way. Dillon stepped up in the neutral zone to break up the rush, sending Appleton back on the attack. He quickly passed off to Namestnikov, who skated the puck into the offensive zone. The Russian center spotted Niederreiter coming on from a line change and the Swiss winger made no mistake on his 1 timer. Winnipeg almost added to their 4 goal lead when the Gustafsson line had multiple looks, but a 3 on 3 counter-rush by the Avs’ created problems. A pass back to the trailer saw the defenseman Johnson use DeMelo as a screen, allowing him to send a shot through the defender’s legs and by Hellebuyck’s blocker. The 4th line for the Jets had another cycle shift before the refs flagged Lowry for a questionable penalty. With around 6 minutes left and down multiple goals, the Colorado coaching staff decided to pull the goalie very early to make it a 6 on 4 advantage. The Avalanche controlled the puck, but they only were able to get a mid-range shot with the two person advantage. Samberg was able to ease the pressure for a bit, but the forwards were too tired to try to get the empty netter. After another Hellebuyck save through traffic, Scheifele won a race to a loose puck, sending it to the open left wing. Ehlers was there to skate onto the puck and seal the game with an empty netter, pocketing his 10th goal of the year. Despite 2 minutes to play, Colorado only had one Cogliano shot on Hellebucyk before the horn blew, seeing the two teams tied in the standing.
FINAL SCORE: WINNIPEG JETS 6 COLORADO AVALANCHE 2
SHOTS: COLORADO AVALANCHE 32 WINNIPEG JETS 25
Game Observations:
- MoneyPuck Stats: 62.3% Deserve to Win for the Jets, 3.39 to 2.00 in expected goals (all situations) for the Jets, and 1.90 to 0.90 in expected goals (5 on 5) for the Jets.
- The Winnipeg Jets are now 2-0 versus the Colorado Avalanche this season and won’t see their division rivals again until April 13th (the Jets’ 3rd last game of the season).
- When everything was settled on last night’s NHL action, the top of the Central Division looked quite interesting: Dallas Stars 38 pts in 29 games, Winnipeg Jets 38 pts in 29 games, Colorado Avalanche 38 pts in 30 games, & Nashville Predators 36 pts in 31 games.
- A complete game effort by the Jets last night saw them pretty much shut down a powerful Avs offense. Colorado hadn’t even managed one expected goal (xG) through 2 periods and the only reason they got up to 2 xG’s by the end of the game was due to some helpful refereeing.
- Gabe Vilardi only has 11 games under his belt this season due to his knee injury, but after a slow start the new-comer has 9 points in 11 games for a .818 pt %. The Ontario-born forward netted his 3rd & 4th goals against Colorado, improving his shooting percentage to 14.3%. Considering his career average of 16.4%, Winnipeg fans can expect to see him celebrate more frequently in upcoming games.
- The rest of the 1st line also played well, with Mark Scheifele coming off another strong 2-way game. The top center won 53.3% of his draws on Saturday (when the team only won 41.2% on the night), including a few important ones late in the 3rd period. Scheifele was one of six Winnipeg players to have 2 points versus the Avalanche, adding 2 assists for a total of 33 pts in 29 games.
- The other 2 point players were the previously-mentioned Vilardi (2 goals), Nik Ehlers (goal/assist), Alex Iafallo (goal/assist), Vladislav Namestnikov (goal/assist), and Josh Morrissey (2 assists).
- The attendance at the Canada Life Centre was up to 90% capacity for Saturday’s game, a slight bump up from this season’s average. Personally, I think the Winnipeg Jets players have done a fabulous job of playing competitive hockey this season and if you happen to have some expendable income and extra time, perhaps some consideration could go to checking out one of their future games. With three straight home games coming up against Original Six franchises (MTL, DET, BOS), True North can probably expect an uptick in sales.
- A beautiful backhand goal by Alex Iafallo to end a 19 game goalless drought. The marker ended up being the game-winner.
It is so much more enjoyable to write these recaps when Winnipeg plays well…and last night’s game might have been their best outing of the season. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t things to work on still. The powerplay finally helped the team out, but it was the 2nd unit that pocketed the goal so the top unit has work left to do. At 5 on 5, the Jets have two lines playing well (Scheifele & Lowry) and a fourth line that can hold their own defensively. Can Iafallo be the spark that gets the Namestnikov trio firing on all cylinders?
NEXT GAME: Montreal Canadiens @ Winnipeg Jets – Monday, December 18th @ 6:30 pm Central
If you are looking for something to do on Sunday afternoon, maybe an outing to watch the Manitoba Moose take on the Milwaukee Admirals is the thing for you. Young prospects Brad Lambert, Chaz Lucius, & Nikita Chibrikov will try to split the two game series with the Nashville Predators affiliate after dropping the opener on Friday. ***forgot to add that it’s the Teddy Bear Toss game today at Canada Life Centre and the 1st Moose goal will be followed by tons of stuffed animals being thrown on the ice for the Christmas Cheer Board.**
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