The Central Division Stanley Cup favourite Colorado Avalanche took on the 2024-25 Presidents’ Trophy winning Winnipeg Jets, and both teams renewed their rivalry in Saturday afternoon’s clash.
What was originally thought as a one-sided matchup for the Colorado Avalanche, nearly turned into the first shutout of the 2025-26 NHL season for Connor Hellebuyck.
76 seconds left on the clock, and the Colorado Avalanche avoided being that first, but they still fell 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets.
Winnipeg got the first power play of the game, and they couldn’t manage to gain any extended offensive zone possession. Colorado, a top-heavy team, got the best quality chances throughout the opening 20 minutes. Meanwhile, the Jets struggled to maintain any meaningful zone possession as Colorado continuously swamped them.
Colorado ended the period with a power play that carried into the opening 1:40 of the second period, but the Avalanche couldn’t strike when the iron was hot.
The second period got better for Winnipeg, but Colorado still overwhelmed them. The only difference maker was Winnipeg’s last line of defence, Connor Hellebuyck.
2:05 into the first period, Kyle Connor fired his 30th goal of the season high blocker side on Mackenzie Blackwood. The 1-0 goal marked Connor’s eighth time hitting the 30-goal mark in nine seasons, a mark he barely missed in the COVID-shortened 56-game 2020-21 NHL season. Connor also helped his linemate, Mark Scheifele, tie a career high of 50 assists, a mark that Scheifele hasn’t hit since the 2016-17 season, but he has nearly gotten close five other times.
Winnipeg and Colorado were shaping up for a close game, and the Jets made good use of getting sticks into passing lanes in an attempt to force the play up the other way.
About nine minutes later, Mark Scheifele set a new career high with his 51st assist on a gritty goal by Alex Iafallo to make it 2-0 Winnipeg.
Scheifele’s shot from the point created a rebound opportunity that made it hard for Blackwood to get a pad out and make the second save. Iafallo, who appeared a little shaken up on the play, netted his 11th of the season, and it proved to be the turning point for Winnipeg in the second period.
Brock Nelson, with 20 seconds left in the second period, missed a wide-open net, and it proved to be a critical end of the Avalanche’s late-period push. Up until this point, Winnipeg had done everything right to weather the storm, and Colorado had no answer for Connor Hellebuyck.
What started as a nerve-wracking start to the third period, Winnipeg managed to rewrite the narrative of not playing hard enough to mitigate scoring chances in the opening two minutes of the third period.
One power play for Colorado and almost no offensive zone time, Winnipeg looked like it was destined for one of the biggest bounce back wins of the season.
76 seconds left in the game, and Martin Necas managed to finally rifle a goal past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 2-1. However, Colorado couldn’t tie things up, and Cole Perfetti’s gutsy efforts late in the third period netted him an empty net goal to make it 3-1 Winnipeg.
As the Winnipeg Jets’ hopes for a wildcard spot slowy withers away, they’ll be watching the standings closely to see the gap either remain at five points, or widen back to seven points.
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