Avalanche Takes On Jets In Afternoon Tilt

The Colorado Avalanche begins a quick two-game road trip in Winnipeg on Sunday afternoon with its third matchup against the Jets and the first of two on the road in the season series.
The Avs are 1-1-0 against Winnipeg in 2016-17, winning the most recent meeting 3-2 on Nov. 11. The Jets enter the contest sitting in fourth place in the Central Division and just three points behind Calgary and Los Angeles for a wild-card spot.
Colorado is 16-12-6 all-time against Winnipeg and 7-6-3 on the road in the series.

Last Time Out

The Avalanche scored the first goal of the game for the eighth time this season but fell 3-1 to the Florida Panthers on Friday night at Pepsi Center. Fedor Tyutin scored Colorado's lone marker, his first tally of the season, and the Avs allowed a short-handed goal for the first time during the 2016-17 campaign.
Winnipeg's last game was also against the Florida Panthers, as the Jets won in a six-round shootout on Thursday night, snapping a four-game losing streak. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 41 shots, Dustin Byfuglien tallied a goal and an assist, and Mathieu Perrault potted the winner in the skills competition.

Last Time They Met

The Avalanche topped the Jets 3-2 in overtime in their last meeting on Nov. 11. Rene Bourque scored two goals, including the overtime-winner, and Mikko Rantanen notched his first NHL goal.

What to Watch

Matinee Melee
This will be Colorado's third afternoon game of the season. The Avalanche is 1-1-0 in day games so far this year, beating the Minnesota Wild 1-0 on Nov. 5 and falling 5-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 6. Colorado's remaining afternoon tilts are Jan. 14 versus Nashville, Feb. 4 versus Winnipeg and March 18 at Detroit.
Taking Advantage of the Power Play
While the Avs were scoreless on six man-advantage opportunities Friday night against the Panthers, they'll look to right the ship against a team that has allowed a power-play goal in four straight games, including three against Florida on Thursday.
Colorado's power play has been stronger away from Pepsi Center with nine goals on 44 man-advantage opportunities, a 20.4-percent rate of success that ranks 11th in the NHL. Nathan MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with six power-play points on the season.

Player to Watch

Colorado: Defenseman Tyson Barrie
Of Barrie's 11 assists on the season, five have come on the power play. The defenseman, who leads Colorado's blueliners with 13 points, emphasized that improvement with the man advantage is key for the team going forward.
"Our power play has to be way better, myself included," he said following Friday night's 3-1 loss to the Panthers. "I'm the quarterback of that thing. You know, it's my job to get it going."

Winnipeg: Right Wing Patrik Laine
While Laine has been held off the scoresheet in both contests against the Avalanche, the rookie phenom ranks third in the NHL with 17 goals. Seven of those have come with the man advantage, which puts him in a tie for second in the league in power-play markers.

Lineup Notes

While Semyon Varlamov skated at Saturday's practice and will be on the road trip, he's not expected to be ready for Sunday's game. Calvin Pickard will make his third consecutive start in goal, and it will be his first in the NHL in his hometown
"It will be pretty fun. It's a great atmosphere there. A lot of family and friends watching, but I can't worry about that," he said. "There is more to it than that right now. We got to dig ourselves out of this hole and find a way to win. That is the main goal."

The Details

Sunday's game between the Jets and the Avs begins at 1 p.m. MT and will be televised on Altitude. The game can also be heard live on Altitude Sports Radio AM950 and online at ColoradoAvalanche.com.