The Colorado Avalanche ( 50-25-7) will experience the infamous “Whiteout” in Winnipeg tonight as they start their Round 1 matchup with the Jets (52-24-6). The first puck drop is at 7 PM EST, and it may be the biggest coin flip out of any matchup this post-season.
The Colorado Avalanche are leaning on what brought them here: Offense
Back in October, the Colorado Avalanche were expected to be here. Some expected them to be division winners, while others expected them to start the summer as Stanley Cup champions. The former didn’t happen, and the latter is going to be a doable, yet daunting task.
Colorado finished the regular season ranked 1st in goals per game on the shoulders of two 100-point scorers in Nathan MacKinnon (140) and Mikko Rantanen (104). Their powerplay is also a strong suit, ranked 5th in the NHL, and that could prove to be a massive advantage considering Winnipeg’s penalty kill is ranked 21st this season.
One of the biggest talking points when discussing this Colorado Avalanche team is their home record. They finished with the most home wins, which subsequently gave them the best home record at 31-9-1. Even though they’re starting on the road, the home-ice advantages on both sides are going to be really interesting to watch.
The Winnipeg Jets are leaning on what brought them here: Goaltending
While the expectations for the Colorado Avalanche were very high back in the fall, the same can’t be said for the Winnipeg Jets. After a disappointing end to the season last year, this year the expectations were up in the air. Whether you expected them to be in playoffs or not, no one expected them to have the home-ice advantage over Colorado, and no one expected them to hold the division lead for over half of the season.
They eventually let the Central slip away to a juggernaut Dallas team, but after finishing the season on an eight-game winning streak, it’s logical to think they’re going into the playoffs playing their best hockey.
The Winnipeg Jets have a very balanced offense attack with four deep lines, but you’re not exactly looking to shut down a superstar like you are with the Colorado Avalanche. Defensively, you’re again looking at a very balanced group of players. Every defenseman has a positive plus/minus, and only one D-Man has played less than 77 games, meaning their chemistry is almost second to none in the NHL.
All of that being said, when you look at the strongest part of the Jets, the number one X-factor, there is one name that comes to mind: Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck is widely regarded as the best goaltender in the NHL. If you and I still don’t trust each other yet, just look at his numbers: 37-19-4, 2.39 GAA .921 SV %, and 5 shutouts. If Winnipeg wins this series, it will be on his back. I should also let you know the Jets went 3 months allowing no more than 2 goals per game. They will need that against one of the league’s best offenses.
What to expect from Game 1
I mentioned Colorado’s home ice dominance this year. However, they’re starting on the road, and on the road, it’s a much different story. Their road record is 19-16-6, which is technically a losing record, while the Jets have almost the same home record (27-11-3) and away record (25-13-3).
I also mentioned how the Avs are powered by two 100-point scorers. After that, it’s Cale Makar with 90 points, and then Casey Mittelstadt with only 57. They will need their secondary scoring in the next 10 days because three guys just won’t get it done in the playoffs.
Beyond the secondary scoring, the biggest question mark for the Colorado Avalanche is their goaltending. Georgiev (38-18-5, 3.02 GAA, .897 SV%) will get the starting nod, but don’t be surprised if we see backup Justus Annunen at some point in this series.
On the Winnipeg side of things, this really will come down to their defense and Hellebuyck giving the offense a chance to win these games. Colorado has a clear goal-scoring edge, but the overall balance award goes to the Jets.
They say the playoffs are a clean slate, and the regular season doesn’t matter. However, the Jets won the season series between these two 3-0, including a 7-0 beatdown just a few weeks ago. We’ll see what matters and doesn’t, starting tonight.
