The Winnipeg Jets will try to tie up their series with the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday afternoon. Game 4 kicks off at 2:30 p.m. EST.
After an exhilarating 7-6 win in Game 1, the Jets were up 2-1 halfway through both Game 2 and 3. Their goaltending was solid, and their defensive play limited a very dangerous Avalanche offensive attack.
Unfortunately for the Jets, games are 60 minutes, not 40. No team in the NHL can flip a switch like the Avs, and in two straight games, Winnipeg has experienced just that.
Third-Period Heroics Propel the Avalanche in Game 3
The final score of Game 3 was 6-2. However, if you don’t understand how this game unfolded, it undermines how impressive of a win it was.
Zach Parise opened the scoring for the Avalanche halfway through the first period. After that, the Jets did a great job of locking it down and taking advantage of their opportunities.
Tyler Toffoli and Josh Morrissey scored for Winnipeg in the second period, giving the Jets a 2-1 lead going into the third period. This game had overtime or 3-2 written all over it, and what happened after that was truly a clinic in dominance.
MacKinnon tied the game up with a powerplay goal two minutes into the final frame. Shortly after, the Jets took a high-sticking penalty, and Valeri Nichushkin promptly gave the Avalanche the lead. In the next 12 minutes, Lehkonen, Colton, and Toews extended the onslaught and put the proverbial nail in the coffin.
Top Heavy Doesn’t Matter For the Avs
I’ve talked a lot about the lack of depth for the Avalanche. It’s reared its ugly head all season. However, this series hasn’t panned out how I thought it would thus far.
On offense, MacKinnon, Nichushkin, and Rantanen have all averaged twenty-two-plus minutes of ice time, combining for 5 goals and 13 points. Lehkonen averaged 20:59 minutes, but after that, the next closest was Mittelstadt at 15:34.
On defense, Makar and Toews have averaged 26:35 and 24:02 minutes, respectively, and the next closest are Walker and Manson, with just over eighteen minutes each.
Colorado is still a top-heavy team, but the production minimizes it. It is not just the production from the big boys; the rest of the lineup is producing, too.
Balanced Attack Not Cutting it For Jets
Throughout this series, I’ve also discussed how Winnipeg’s depth is a massive strength. However, it hasn’t panned out how I thought it would thus far. Have I said that already?
Lowry, Scheifele, and Connor all have 2 goals each. The rest of the lineup has 3 goals combined. Against this Avalanche firepower, that’s not going to cut it.
On the defensive side of things, what started as a D-Core filled with plus numbers now has only two players with +1. The rest are all minuses.
You’re not going to fully slow down the Avalanche, but you have to find a way to slow the game down and tighten things up, or this series will end in a hurry. That’s when the Jets are a Stanley Cup-caliber team, and right now, that’s just not showing up in this series.
What to Expect in Game 4
As I said earlier, the Jets have executed very well through two periods. I expect that to continue this afternoon. However, This time, it has to be for three periods, or they’re returning to the Whiteout on the brink of elimination.
Connor Hellebuyck has been peppered with great scoring chances, and many of them have been on the power play, and many of them have gone in. Plain and simple, they can’t anymore. The Vezina winner has to play out of this world for the Jets to have a shot, but there’s no question he needs help from all eighteen skaters in front of him.
Hellebuyck’s counterpart, Alexander Georgiev, bounced back incredibly well from his Game 1 debacle. After allowing 7 goals on 23 shots, he’s allowed only 4 goals on 54 shots across the last two games.
I just don’t think you can completely shut down the ability of the Colorado Avalanche to flip the switch. But I do think the Jets can do enough to get the job done in Game 4. Winnipeg has been the better team in four of the last six periods. This is a top team in this league, and I think they find a way to close out the game and go home tied at two.
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