FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: I am fascinated by Colorado’s decision to put Alexandar Georgiev in net tonight. This really feels like a sink-or-swim moment for him. He has been terrible so far this year, with just one win in six starts and a bloated 4.62 goals against average and .822 save percentage. Meanwhile, backup Justus Annunen is 5-2 with a 2.64 GAA.
Georgiev had a nightmarish Game 1 last year against the Jets, giving up seven goals on just 16 shots – only to rebound with four straight strong starts to lead his club to the series victory. Which version are we going to see tonight? Stay tuned.
Speaking of goaltenders, I suspect Hellebuyck might have had this one circled in his head. Despite a Vezina Trophy campaign last year, Hellebuyck struggled mightily in the playoffs against Colorado and likely relishes this chance at getting some redemption against Colorado.
“They’re a really good team,” Avalanche head coach Bednar said this morning of the Jets.
“Playoffs can be a different animal. But they’re deep, they can score, they defend the right way, they don’t give you a bunch of time and space. (They get) a really well-rounded, 200-foot game from everyone in their lineup with that depth and it makes it difficult to create. On the offensive side of it, they’re snapping the puck around, spreading it around and getting the puck to the net hard. Obviously, they’re the No. 1 team in the league right now. It’s a big challenge for us.”
I am also curious to see the crowd count at Canada Life Centre. The first two games on this homestand have drawn just 12,916 and 12,932 (the smallest and third-smallest of the season) despite Winnipeg’s remarkable record. You’d think a marquee matchup with the Avalanche would help the cause, but we shall see.
By the way, I’ll be filing a feature tomorrow, for Saturday’s paper, on the ongoing attendance issue with the Jets and ongoing efforts by the organization to make strides.
KEN SAYS: The measuring stick game is something that gets tossed around a bit too liberally in our profession, but even if neither side was interested in going down that road after the morning skate, there’s little doubt both teams are curious about how they stack up against one another in this Central Division battle.
Jets winger Nino Niederreiter is off to a tremendous start and scored a pair on Tuesday in his 900th NHL game. That moves him to seven goals and 12 points in 13 games this season, well on his way to reaching 20 goals for the ninth time in 14 NHL seasons.
The line of Lowry, Niederreiter and Mason Appleton has outscored opponents to the tune of 10-1 at five-on-five so far, which is an impressive total for a trio that often goes out against the most skilled line on the opposition.
The assignment this evening is a daunting one as they go head-to-head with MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen — who is back for his second game of the season after returning to the lineup on Tuesday against Seattle.
The Avalanche are still operating at less than full speed given all of the injuries they’re dealing with, but beware of the top-end talent. In 39 career games against the Jets, MacKinnon has generated 15 goals and 38 points.
Centre Casey Mittelstadt had a great series against the Jets last spring after the trade with the Buffalo Sabres and he’s producing at a point-per-game rate in his first full season with the Avalanche (13 points in 12 games).
PROJECTED LINES
WINNIPEG JETS
FORWARDS:
- Connor-Scheifele-Vilardi
- Perfetti-Namestnikov-Ehlers
- Niederreiter-Lowry-Appleton
- Barron-Kupari-Iafallo
DEFENCE:
- Morrissey-DeMelo
- Samberg-Pionk
- Stanley-Miller
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: D Coghlan, D Fleury, F GustafssonINJURED: D Heinola (ankle), F Anderson-Dolan (foot)
COLORADO AVALANCHE
FORWARDS:
- Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Rantanen
- Kiviranta-Mittelstadt-O’Connor
- Ivan-Kelly-Kovalenko
- Prishchepov-Wagner-Tynan
DEFENCE:
- Toews-Makar* (game-time decision)
- Girard-Manson
- De Haan-Malinski
GOAL:
HEALTHY SCRATCHES: G Kahkonen, D Kylingon, D Ludvig* (would likely play if Makar can’t go)
INJURED: F Landeskog (knee), F Drouin (upper-body), F Colton (broken foot), F Wood (upper-body), F Nichushkin (suspension), D Poolman (head)
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
Jets captain Adam Lowry on the past and the present when it comes to facing the Avalanche:
“Of course, we are disappointed with the result last year and with how that series went. But I think we have turned the page and taken the lessons from last year and implement them in training camp and implement them in our start and team structure. Obviously, their team looks a little different than they did last year in the playoffs, but they still have a lot of speed and are great on the forecheck. They have a couple big guys on the back end that can really move the puck and are dangerous offensively.”
WHAT WE’RE WORKING ON
Ken had the chance to speak with Jets massage therapist Al Pritchard, who is celebrating his 1,000th game of working in the NHL tonight. He’ll have a story on the cancer survivor who is one of the unsung heroes behind the scenes for the hockey team. Mike will have the full game story including analysis and quotes, news and notes. You can find both pieces online at winnipegfreepress.com and in Friday’s print edition.
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