Bottom line: Winnipeg Jets @ Colorado Avalanche

With a chance to break a tie for second place in the Central Division, the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche prepared to hit the ice Saturday afternoon. Let's find out how the clash between the two juggernauts of the Western Conference went…

The opening shift saw both franchises try to set a physical note, with the Jets' Lowry and the Avs' Manson dropping body checks on their opponents. Rick Bowness' suffocating defensive style was evident early as neither team managed to find a goal in the first 4 minutes of play. After Colorado took the first offensive zone shift and dropped to Hellebuyck, Winnipeg went to work with the Monahan line. They gained the o-zone and started moving the puck, eventually giving it to Ehler. The speedy Dane dribbled around the back of the Avs net before popping out and sending a cross-court pass to Monahan at the back door. The Coloradoan was able to hold off Girard when the center pucked in Georgiev's puck, giving Winnipeg the lead six minutes in and pocketing his 25th goal of the campaign. Some pressure from the Jets' top line didn't lead to another goal, but it did give our team their first effort of the contest. The PP set up early, but the Avalanche were able to relieve the pressure by moving back up the ice. The top unit quickly recovered in the offensive zone and when Connor received the puck in the left circle, faked a shot before sending a beautiful backdoor pass to Villardi (21st of the year). Winnipeg took a 2-0 lead 8 minutes into the game, so the Jets had to overcome a Colorado comeback (Nichushkin hits the post and Manson rushes/shoots). However, our team quickly returned to the attack (Connor jumps Scheifele, rocks Monahan on Georgiev's rebound, etc.) and that ultimately led to Winnipeg's 2nd PP of the afternoon. Wasting no time, Monaghan won the game cleanly and Morrissey beat the keeper's glove to make it 3-0 with 5 minutes to play. Not satisfied with this, the next shift put the puck in the 3rd line and started the chase. The puck bounced around the defensive boards and landed on the stick of the tall Gustafsson on the left side. Quickly sending the puck to the point, DeMelo launched the ball, which was a juicy shot for Lowry to beat the goaltender. With two markers in just 10 seconds, the Jets scored their fastest two goals since moving to Manitoba. The 4th goal was enough for the Avs to pull Georgiev, but Colorado didn't give up and spent the better part of the remaining 5 minutes trying to break Winnipeg's defensive scheme. Despite the push, the score remained the same when the trumpet finally blew. To see how well the Jets played in the opening frame, check out this mind-blowing stat/shot chart from MoneyPuck.

MoneyPuck Stats for First Round: Score: 4-0 for the Jets, 6-of-16 shots for the Jets, 84% for the Jets, expected goals-all situations (2.22-0.66 WPG) and 5-on-5 (1.09-0.66 WPG)

The second period started in the same way as the first period, in the first minutes neither team tested the goalkeepers. In a shift that highlighted the differences between Scheifele's play last year and this season, the rotation was active at defensive end to help create turnovers. He then immediately skated down the ice to get a zone clearance from Connor before dumping the puck into the Avs end. Undaunted by two Colorado defenders, Scheifele sent them to the loose puck and attempted a corner kick. Love the effort at #55 this year. Winnipeg continued to play well and did not allow the Avalanche to spend significant time in the offensive zone. To their further dismay, the planes continued to pick off the body whenever they got the chance (i.e. Pionk blasted MacKinnon with a hard hit – pictured at the top of the article.). Colorado committed another penalty as Colton went down after a quarterback interception, but as good as the Jets played, they couldn't improve to 3-on-3. The Avalanche began to apply even more pressure to find a way through the Bowness system and Winnipeg struck again, this time on a counter attack that saw Connor and Toffoli (32 goals of the year) complete a 2-to-1 rush. Down 5-0 with half a game to play, the Avalanche had their first opportunity to deploy their deadly power play units. But Winnipeg was having none of it, except for one bumper shot, holding the Avs on the perimeter (Stanley and Bucky team up to keep the puck out) and the point taken through the screen where the iron was found instead of the thread. After killing a Namestnikov penalty, the Jets went back on the attack and when Morrissey carried the puck up the ice and into the Colorado zone, he drew the attention of all defenders before connecting with Monahan to allow the center to get his 2nd star of the night. . A minute later, Gustafsson tipped Lowry and Jets captain Annunen scored his 12th goal of the season through the 5-hole. Hellebuyck had to make a few more saves before the period expired, including denying McKinnon in the middle.

MoneyPuck Stats After Two Periods: Score: 7 to 0 for the Flyers, 23-for-17 shooting for the Flyers, 80% for the Jets in a win, expected goals – all situations (3.17-1.46 WPG) and 5 (1.96-1.21 WPG)

The third period was similar to the first period, except the Winnipeg Jets weren't too interested in scoring. Instead, they focused on continuing their defensive play. Kudos to the Avalanche for not giving up on the game, as it was clear on their faces how frustrating it was to deal with the Jets' massive forecheck and defensive lapses. Colorado was able to outscore Winnipeg 10-8 in the final frame, but their two-and-three threat chances were denied by Hellebuyck. Toffoli had a breakaway look to extend the Jets' lead, and while he appeared to beat the goalie, he couldn't get the puck up the stretch to make it 8-0. Overall, this was a fantastic lead from our team, despite the fact that MoneyPuck's data doesn't seem lopsided.

MoneyPuck Stats After Three Periods: 60% Wins for Flyers Expected Goals All Situations (3.60-3.09 WPG) and 5-on-5 (2.84-2.39 COL)

Final score: WINNIPEG JETS 7 COLORADO AVALANCHE 0

PICTURES: COLORADO AVALANCHE 31 WINNIPEG JETS 27

Game controls:

• Definitely another great game Connor Hellebuyck in another shutdown path (5th year/37th career). 31 saves, 11 mid-danger, 2 high-danger and 3.09 goals-against average saved. Might as well write Bucky's name on the Vezina, because anyone who doesn't vote for him should have their eyes checked.
• Sean Monahan Winnipeg had 2 goals and 1 assist last night while four Jets had 2 point games (Kyle Connor – 2A, Nikolai Ehlers – 2A, David Gustafson – 2A, & Adam Lowry – 2G). Yes, you read that right….Lowry scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season. Miracles will happen!!
• Despite the forward ice-time, it was liked enough Vladislav Namestnikov & Sean Monahan sitting on the bench to finish the game. I don't know if it's about the rest of the players or what, but Winnipeg's forwards were finished between 10:43 and 19:32.
• If you want to know about expected goals, Corsi (shooting actions), & Fenwick (unblocked shooting attempts) Here are the numbers for Winnipeg's offensive and defensive pairings:

• It's hard to say anything negative about yesterday's race. Maybe…Nikolai Ehlers made another dicey pass, Mark Scheifele still need to take more shots etc. But it's just tough and the effort shown by the Winnipeg Jets deserves more credit. So, I'll close by listing the individual expected goals for the Jets via MoneyPuck:

The Winnipeg Jets now control their own destiny when it comes to determining whether their postseason begins in Manitoba or Colorado. The team needs to rest and take a few days Nino Niederreiter back in line for the next competition.

NEXT GAME: Seattle Kraken @ Winnipeg Jets – Tuesday, April 16 @ 7:00 PM Central

No news yet Rutger McGroarty see… but the Michigan team Frank Nazar He chose to sign with the Chicago Blackhawks, so could he follow that lead and decide to turn pro? We will have to wait and see.

The Manitoba Moose beat the Iowa Wild 7-4 yesterday before losing to the Chicago Wolves to advance to the playoffs. They are still 5 points behind the Texas Stars for 4th place and have home ice advantage for the best of 3 game series, but have 4 games left, including 2 against the Stars, who are currently very much up in the air. . The Moose play their final game of the regular season this afternoon at 2pm, and I'll be checking in to see if there are any new players (defender Dylan Enhorn and forward Colby Barlow & Connor Lewis) take action.

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