It is a Saturday night clash of top teams in the Central Division as the Winnipeg Jets host the Colorado Avalanche.
A win in regulation by the Jets would see them take over first place in the Central, something they certainly have the confidence to achieve. They claimed victory in three of four games on their most recent road trip which started Dec. 7 with a 4-2 win over Colorado and concluded with a 5-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night
“Great road trip,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said after the win in Los Angeles. “I really liked the way we played … but you look tonight … against that team, which is an elite team, we held them to six shots in the third period … and still generated some offense. Those are great things to see.”
It is a sign of a burgeoning identity starting to bubble to the surface for Winnipeg. The Jets have taken a huge leap this year in their 5-on-5 play and their defensive structure, not allowing more than two goals against in all six of the games they have played in December.
“We’re a great team,” Jets forward Mark Scheifele said on his teammates’ willingness to play the same way regardless of the circumstance. “A lot of great pieces in here and everyone battling for each other. That’s what you need.”
Kyle Connor scored twice against the Avalanche the last time the two teams met. Times are different, however, with Connor now on the shelf for the next six to eight weeks with a sprained MCL and a deep bone bruise on his right knee following a collision with Anaheim’s Ryan Strome on Sunday.
Connor joins forward Rasmus Kupari on injury reserve for Winnipeg.
The Avalanche are getting healthier after a long series of injuries, but winger Artturi Lehkonen’s return remains distant as he continues to deal with a neck injury.
Those missing teammates have given additional opportunities to depth players and rookies such as defenseman Sam Malinski, a call-up from the AHL’s Colorado Eagles in late November, who has impressed in his first seven games.
He scored his first career NHL goal Wednesday night, part of a 5-1 win over the Sabres.
“It means a lot,” said Malinski when asked how he’s stayed in the lineup. “Just a confidence thing, I think. I know the coaching staff wants me to get involved in the play offensively, so trying to do that as much as I can while still being responsible defensively.”
Things have not been easy for Colorado, but despite that, there have certainly been more positives than negatives in the eyes of their head coach.
“It’s not just about winning. For me, I always say, I’m not going to judge our team just on the result,” said Jared Bednar on the win over Buffalo and the electric 6-5 comeback over Calgary on Monday. “It’s about how we play … and (developing) the habits we need to win at the most important time as things start to tighten up.
“I (think) we’ve probably made a big step in the right direction over the last two games … now, we’ll try and repeat it against Winnipeg.”
