The Avalanche lay an egg against the Jets in their most embarrassing loss of the season

Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dylan Samberg (54) checks Colorado Avalanche center Yakov Trenin (73) during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 13, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Aleksandr Georgiev had his hair down and was looking away from nowhere. His helmetless head told a sobering story Saturday afternoon before coach Jared Bednar even opened his mouth.

The Aussies are in trouble. Their goalkeeper has made more saves than any “Baywatch” player and was benched for one of the worst first periods in recent memory. Or any memory.

Final score: Winnipeg 7, Avs 0. The Jets got the tacos, and the Avs settled for a Denver omelet on their face.

“We're not here,” quarterback Devon Toews said in the locker room. “It was really bad.”

The Avs saw their matchup with the Jets as a must-win while tying up home ice in the playoffs. What unfolded can only be described as an unmitigated disaster, a performance so dire it raises questions about the Avs' postseason authenticity.

Colorado is set to face the Jets – a lunch bucket, hard cap team – in the postseason. The same Jets team that swept the Aussies 17-4 in three games this season.

It wasn't that long ago, like Tuesday, when the Avs seemed to regroup and dance to that rhythm. There was no Mc-Trick at this matinee, just people wondering if he could shake the mound and eliminate goaltending and defensive problems.

“In our formation, we looked like we didn't know what we were doing at times,” forward Andrew Cogliano said. “These were mental mistakes.”

Like a comedy of missteps. But no one laughed. Bednar explained that the Aussies were hit on the net, hit in the quick and hit the boards. Failure to perform will occur. Lack of effort is a sin.

“I felt like I was outmatched,” Bednar admitted.

There is no easy way to say it: Georgiev is at a dead end. A 4-0 deficit in the first quarter can't be placed solely on his crease, but his fingerprints were all over the mess. He was stopped with 14:35 left in the first period when Brandon Duhaime shoved the Jets' Alex Iaffollo. It was a fleeting display of intensity and laziness.