|
DENVER — They love to sing “All The Small Things” here in Denver, but make no mistake: beating the Avalanche would be a very big thing for a Jets team that fancies itself a legitimate contender in both the Central Division and Western Conference.
This is the start of a four-game road trip for Winnipeg, which just closed out a four-game homestand with victories over the Chicago Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes.
Advertisement
You can put Colorado coach Jared Bednar as among those impressed by what he’s seen so far this season from tonight’s opponent.
“It looks like a really disciplined, structured team,” he told the Free Press following today’s morning skate.
“I look at some of their numbers, like their rush attacks have been really good, their rush coverage has been really good, disciplined at protecting the house in the defensive zone. It’s all the things that coaches are going to key on. I think it’s the maturity of their team, understanding where they’re at. Once you figure out what it takes to win on any given night just trying to hit that mark every night. It looks like they’re doing it, and they’re getting great goaltending to go along with it.”
LINDSEY WASSON /AP PHOTO FILEColorado Avalanche head coach Jared Bender is impressed by what he’s seen so far this season from tonight’s opponent Winnipeg Jets.
After going with 11 forwards and seven defencemen against the Hurricanes, the Jets will return to a traditional 12/6 alignment. That means forward Axel Jonsson-Fjallby comes back in, while Declan Chisholm goes out. Logan Stanley remains in the lineup, while Nate Schmidt will once again be a healthy scratch, now for the fifth time this season.
“(Chisholm and Schmidt) will both play, most likely, at some point this trip,” said Jets coach Rick Bowness. “We go into each game and just make decisions based on who we’re playing, and who’s playing well. We liked (Stanley’s) game last game. We like his size, we like his physicality. He didn’t chase the game, he did what we needed him to do.”Forward Vlad Namestnikov will miss a third game in a row with a lower-body injury, but he could be an option to play Sunday in Anaheim.
Here’s some further information to get you set for puck drop:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: The good news — Winnipeg has now gone 14 consecutive games when they’ve surrendered no more than three goals. That’s impressive, and certainly a recipe for sustained success. They’ll need that good defensive structure against a Colorado club that can fill the net with the best of them. On the other side of the puck, however, comes some not-so-good news for the Jets — they’ve gone seven straight games where they’ve scored three or less goals. (14 total in that span, for an average of just two per game). That’s a tough way to live, and you get the sense they’re due for an offensive breakout one of these nights.
This has been a tough building for teams to win in, as Colorado is 9-2-0 in their own barn this season including five straight victories. They’ll also get a boost with Cale Makar returning to the lineup after missing the previous two games with injury. However, Valeri Nichushkin, who is fourth on the team in scoring with 21 points, will not play as he deals with illness.
Winnipeg hasn’t played since Monday, and they won’t play again until Sunday, so I’d expect them to come out with an “empty the tank” approach here. I’m looking forward to this one.
KEN SAYS: We often talk about dynamic duos, but the Avalanche are one of the NHL teams with a tremendous trio, one that includes Makar (34 points) and forwards Nathan MacKinnon (34 points) and Mikko Rantanen (31 points).
Speaking of trios, the Jets top line of Mark Scheifele between Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor has been rounding nicely into form, the most recent example coming when they were involved in both even-strength goals scored by the Jets in the 2-1 victory over the Hurricanes. This is a tremendous test for a Jets team that has established an excellent defensive structure that’s been a key to a strong start of five-on-five play, since the Avalanche can play with incredible pace and come at you in waves.
It’s a fun goalie matchup as well, with Connor Hellebuyck (18 starts in 24 games) playing at a high level and Alexandar Georgiev (21 starts in 25 games) carrying a heavy load in his second season as the Avalanche starter. The Avalanche added a number of forwards via trade and free agency this past offseason (Ryan Johansen, Ross Colton, Miles Wood and Jonathan Drouin to name a few) and I’m curious to see how they’re fitting in so far. Ball Arena features one of the best atmospheres in the NHL and Mike is in for a treat as he covers this Central Division tilt between teams battling for top spot.
|
