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What will they do for an encore?
Game 1 between the Winnipeg Jets and Colorado Avalanche had a little bit of everything, with the home side hanging on for a wild 7-6 victory Sunday night. What it lacked in defensive structure and goaltending it more than made up for by offensive firepower and entertainment.
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Will we get another back-and-forth barn burner, or perhaps a more tepid, toned-down affair? Stay tuned.
“If we can win those games, that’s fun. But, obviously, we don’t want to allow six. Overall, every part of our game could be better,” said Jets defenceman Dylan DeMelo.
Of course, Colorado is feeling a similar way, especially with Vezina Trophy favourite Connor Hellebuyck staring them down.
“Our mentality is that we’re not going to get more than two or three. He’s the best in the league and we definitely don’t expect to get six again in this series,” said Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon. “We’re just trying to do our best to get in front of him and, hopefully, get a few just to win… 2-1 would be nice.”
The Jets will go with the same lineup, while the Avalanche make one change – they’ve swapped out backup goaltenders, with Arvid Holm sent back to the AHL and Ivan Prosvetov now up. That’s notable, as Alexandar Georgiev will start in net. But you have to imagine the leash is suddenly a lot shorter.
Colorado Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev allowed seven goals on 23 shots by the Winnipeg Jets in Game 1 of their first round Stanley Cup playoff series, Sunday. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)
Jets coach Rick Bowness feels his group was “nervous” in Game 1 and that, perhaps, fed into some of the breakdowns.
“You skate on that ice and the passionate fan base that we have, it’s quite a scene. So, I think the guys were a little nervous to start the game. And that’s understandable,” he said.
“The first time out there, you’re not exactly sure what you’re going to get from some of our guys. But now they’ve seen it, they’ve seen the tremendous following we have and the tremendous passion our fans have for the team. So, now they should be better prepared to handle that.”
To that extent, Bowness believes they’ll have a more polished approach tonight.
“I do. And I sensed it (Monday). We had a good talk. They were very honest with their assessment of our team game. And we had a good video session this morning. And I liked our mood in the practice and around the locker-room, talking to the guys,” he said.
“We’re thrilled that we won. We needed to get that win, and we got it. We’ll take it any way we can get it. But at the same time, you have to be honest with your assessment. That’s the best game Colorado has played against us in the four games we’ve played them. By far. Give them a lot of credit. They played an outstanding game. They worked and they were on top of us. They didn’t give us a lot of time. So, give Colorado a lot of credit. And that being said, we know we can play better against what they threw at us.”
Here’s some other information to get you set:
FROM THE PRESS BOX
MIKE SAYS: This city is still buzzing over Game 1 – and that extends to the players, too. I asked Nikolaj Ehlers this morning what it felt like to play in front of the Whiteout for the first time since 2019 (he was injured during last year’s home games).
“Well, I haven’t jumped on the bench like I did last game for the first goal since probably 2019. So, that explains it,” Ehlers told me.
“It’s fantastic. You know, you come out there for the first period and the building is buzzing. The ‘True North’ is as loud as I’ve ever heard it. And during the game, it’s you know, you’re focused on the game, but you still hear that. So, it’s a pretty, pretty bright rink out there when everybody’s wearing white. So, maybe some guys need some tinted visors on a whole lot and it’s a lot of fun.”
It would seam Winnipeg vs. Colorado has gotten the attention of plenty of folks outside this market, too. There was Pat McAfee on his wildly popular talk show yesterday singing the praises of the city, saying he’d love to one day take in a game here. On today’s show, the former NFL punter was sporting a Jets jersey, making him the newest superfan, I guess.
And how about this stat: Jets/Avs was the most-viewed first-round NHL playoff game in ESPN2 history – like, ever – and the third-most viewed Game 1 of a first-round playoff series in the history of U.S. cable television, averaging 1.1 million viewers south of the border and peaking at 1.4 million.
Wild stuff. All of it.
I’ve often been critical of officiating, so it’s only fair I point out that I thought the men in stripes did a terrific job on Sunday in letting these two teams play and not getting in the way as the temperature ramped up. Let’s hope for more of that as the series unfolds.
Speaking of intensity, how about the fact there were 100 combined hits in Game 1. Can they keep up that kind of pace? If so, better have plenty of ice on standby.
“Listen, it’s a seven-game series and every chance you get, you’ve got to finish your checks,” said Bowness.
“Does that mean you want to run all over the ice and hit them? Absolutely not. Don’t want to chase the game. But when the opportunity is there to finish checks, they’re doing it, we’re doing it, every series is doing it. So, you’re hoping as the series goes on that you’re wearing guys down. Don’t go chasing the game, don’t go running all over the ice. We want to get the structure back, we don’t want to keep opening things up by running around going for big hits. But certainly, when it’s there, you’ve got to take advantage of it. They are, and so are we.”
Winnipeg Jets’ defenceman Logan Stanley lowers the boom on Colorado Avalanche centre Ross Colton during the first period, Sunday. (Fred Greenslade / The Canadian Press)
KEN SAYS: The Jets basically checked all the boxes in Game 1, other than winning the special-teams battle (which they lost 2-1) and giving up more shots on goal (46) and quality opportunities than they had hoped for as the contest devolved into a track meet.
Much of the talk heading into the series revolved around the Jets trying to limit the Avalanche stars – and Adam Lowry’s line did a great job on that front, outscoring MacKinnon 2-1 at even strength.
MacKinnon and Cale Makar still managed to score twice and combine for five points, but the Jets’ top guns were all over the scoresheet as well, including two goals and three points for Kyle Connor, a goal and two assists for Mark Scheifele and two helpers for Gabriel Vilardi, along with a goal and an assist for Josh Morrissey.
Connor managed five shots on goal and seven shot attempts, but his biggest contribution might have come on his ferocious forecheck on the Jets’ third goal, as he separated Avalanche centre Casey Mittelstadt from the puck behind the net in the offensive zone. Jarring it loose set the stage for Vilardi to find Scheifele for the goal that tied the game 3-3 and capped a six-goal outburst in the first period.
Subtle plays like that one can be the difference between winning and losing.
“That’s an underrated part of KC’s game. He’s not the biggest guy, he’s not going to run you over on the forecheck,” said Lowry. “But he does such a good job with his speed and his reads, getting into the guy’s hands, turning pucks over, kind of moving the puck allowing the next guy to make that play. It was a real heads-up play, a real great play. When we talk about impacting plays on the forecheck, everyone doesn’t have to run through the defenceman. It’s about disrupting, try and create those turnovers. And he does a really good job at it. And the two goals, they were huge for us as well.”
Although the Sean Monahan line with Ehlers and Tyler Toffoli was held off the scoresheet in the series opener, I thought they were highly effective, and Ehlers was one of the most dangerous players on the ice. Should that continue, that’s a line that could end up doing some damage for the Jets.
Lastly, goaltending has been a topic that’s been taking up a large amount of oxygen so far and it will continue to until the Avalanche get a few more saves.
Hellebuyck may have given up six goals in Game 1, but he still made 40 saves and the chances of him allowing that many again in this series is pretty slim.
The Avalanche aren’t going to go away quietly in this series. They’ve got a bunch of players with championship experience, and they’ll be better in several important areas as well.
Mikko Rantanen was held to one shot on goal (and one attempt), while chipping in an assist and four hits for the Avalanche. He’s still working his way back from an injury, but he’s the type of player that can turn a series on its head. Rantanen has 30 goals and 89 points in 71 playoff games with the Avalanche and will be looking to make a bigger impact in Game 2.
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