Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 7th 2024
Preview and Prediction
In order to momentarily halt the advancing Winnipeg Jets, the Colorado Avalanche may have to do so without one of the NHL's premier players. It remains uncertain if the injured star defenseman Cale Makar will be able to play when the visiting Avalanche attempt to prevent the Jets from securing their fifth consecutive victory in a playoff rematch on Thursday night.
Colorado ended a three-game losing streak with a 6-3 win over Seattle on Tuesday. Nathan MacKinnon tallied five assists, Mikko Rantanen scored two goals, and Makar contributed two assists for the Avalanche, who broke out after only scoring twice in each of their previous three games.
However, Makar left the game in the second period due to an undisclosed injury.
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According to Colorado coach Jared Bednar, "He tweaked something late in the second. He wasn't able to continue." The Denver Post reported on Wednesday that Bednar said Makar is feeling "OK" and may be able to play on Thursday.
Losing Makar, who currently ranks second in the league with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists), would be a significant blow for a team that has underperformed with a 6-7-0 record. Depending on the length of Makar's absence, the performances of fellow stars MacKinnon and Rantanen will be crucial.
Like Makar, MacKinnon has recorded at least one point in each of the Avalanche's first 13 games. However, Rantanen, who has scored over 100 points in each of the last two seasons, only had one point in the three games leading up to Tuesday's victory.
It will also be important for secondary scorers like Ivan Ivan and Chris Wagner, who each scored a goal on Tuesday, to contribute, especially if Makar is out for an extended period of time.
According to Bednar, "As much as we do rely on our top guys, and you need them to lead the way offensively, you need other guys to chip in."
This will all be crucial against the Jets, who currently hold the top spot in the NHL with a franchise-best 12-1-0 record. Since their 6-4 loss to Toronto on October 28th, Winnipeg has outscored their opponents 22-8 during their current four-game winning streak.
In Tuesday's 3-0 victory over the Utah Hockey Club, Nino Niederreiter scored twice and Connor Hellebuyck (9-1-0, 2.10 goals-against average) made 21 saves. Niederreiter, who has scored seven goals in the last nine games, stated, "The best part about (the strong start) right now is that we keep finding ways to win hockey games."
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He continued, "We are finding the back of the net right now, which is great. It is something that we work very hard for. We know we can't take anything for granted."
This was similar to last season when the Jets won all three regular-season games against the Avalanche before ultimately losing to Colorado in five games during the first round of the playoffs.
In the 2023-24 season, including the playoffs, MacKinnon recorded three goals and 10 assists against Winnipeg. Kyle Connor (nine goals, 10 assists), who had a franchise-record 12-game point streak to start the season for the Jets, had five goals and four assists in seven games against Colorado.
Justus Annunen (2.64 goals-against average) may start for the Avalanche for the third consecutive game after stopping 17 of 20 shots from the Kraken on Tuesday, improving his record to 5-2-0 as a starter.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Winnipeg Jets Recap APR 30TH 2024
Mikko Rantanen had two goals and an assist as the visiting Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Winnipeg Jets with a 6-3 win in Game 5 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series on Tuesday night.
Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the fifth straight game, Josh Manson had a goal and an assist and Yakov Trenin also scored for the Avalanche, who will play either the Dallas Stars or the Vegas Golden Knights in the conference semifinals.
Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews each had two assists while Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves.
Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Tyler Toffoli scored and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 26 shots for the Jets, who won all three games against Colorado during the regular season by a combined score of 17-4 but were outscored 28-15 in the playoff series.
The Avalanche moved ahead 4-3 on a tip-in from Rantanen at 4:11 of the third period. It was the first goal of the series for Rantanen, who scored 42 during the regular season.
Rantanen found the net again on a feed from MacKinnon off a rush to stretch the lead to 5-3 at 8:01.
Manson scored into an empty net with two seconds left.
The Jets took a 1-0 lead at 1:15 of the first period.
Connor was credited with the goal after Manson tried to clear a loose puck from the crease but it hit Lehkonen and ricocheted back into his own net.
Nichushkin, who had a hat trick in the Avalanche's 5-1 win in Game 4 and came in with six goals in the series, scored on a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle off the rush to tie it 1-1 at 3:18 of the first period.
Trenin took a shot from along the goal line that Hellebuyck saved, but Trenin beat Winnipeg defenseman Neal Pionk to the rebound, pulled the puck in front of the net and scored for a 2-1 lead at 5:42 of the second period.
The Jets went on their first power play shortly afterward and Morrissey tied it 2-2 with a one-timer from above the slot at 6:48 of the second.
Lehkonen moved Colorado back ahead 3-2 when his wrist shot off the rush went off the stick of Pionk and into his own net at 13:45 of the second.
Lehkonen and Nichushkin are the first teammates in NHL history to score in a team's first five postseason games.
Toffoli tied it 3-3 at 2:06 of the third with a wrist shot from the slot that sailed above Georgiev's right pad and under his blocker.