Avalanche Concludes Road Trip In Winnipeg

The Colorado Avalanche closes out its season-long, six-game road trip on Saturday evening, taking on the Central Division-leading Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place. It's the third of four meetings between the teams this season and the first time they'll clash in Winnipeg. Colorado is 2-0-0 through the first two matchups, winning both games by a 3-2 score in overtime on Nov. 29 and Jan. 2.
The Avs have won three of their last four contests against the Jets but have dropped three straight on the road in the series. Colorado is 7-8-3 all-time on the road in Winnipeg.

Last Time Out

J.T. Compher scored in overtime and the Avs snapped a three-game winless streak, topping the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 on Thursday night. Samuel Girard notched his first marker in an Avalanche sweater, and Blake Comeau potted the 5,000th goal in Avalanche history. Nikita Zadorov also scored for Colorado, getting the Avs on the board first in the second period. The Avalanche capitalized on its lone power-play opportunity and held the Oilers scoreless on their three chances with the man advantage.
Winnipeg is coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night. Joel Armia and Kyle Connor each tallied a goal and an assist to lead the Jets, and Connor's marker evened the score late in the third period, forcing the extra frame. Connor Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves, including three in overtime before Vegas secured the win.

Last Time They Met

Erik Johnson scored on a breakaway with 9.9 seconds remaining in overtime to lift the Avs to a 3-2 win over the Jets at Pepsi Center on Jan. 2. Mikko Rantanen finished with a goal and two assists, including the helper on Johnson's game-winner, and Nathan MacKinnon added two points (goal and an assist). Blake Wheeler scored both goals for Winnipeg, which held a 44-26 advantage in shots.

What to Watch

Key Division Matchup
At 28-18-4 (60 points), the Avs currently sit in ninth place in the Western Conference standings, one point out of the second wild-card spot. They trail Dallas by two points and Minnesota by one in the wild-card race. The Jets (30-13-9) hold the top spot in the division with 69 points and are still within striking distance of the Avalanche. That makes a big two points up for grabs on Saturday night.
Offensive Battle
Saturday's matchup features two of the best offenses in the NHL. The Avs rank fourth in the league with 3.26 goals per game, while the Jets' 3.21 goals-per-game average is fifth-best in the NHL. Colorado has scored at least six goals in a game on seven occasions this season, tied with the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders for the most such outings in 2017-18.
Home Ice For The Jets
Winnipeg is 18-3-2 at home this season, the league's third-best home record, and 8-1-1 in its last 10 outings at Bell MTS Center. The Jets' power play is also one of the league's best on home ice, where they're 24-for-82 (30.5 percent) this season. Toning will be the third of a 10-game homestand for Winnipeg.

Player to Watch

Colorado: Left Wing Blake Comeau
Comeau's short-handed goal at the end of the second period on Thursday goes down as the 5,000th goal in Avalanche history and gave Comeau his team-leading third short-handed tally of the season, which is tied for second in the league. He has 12 points (four goals and eight assists) in 26 career games against the Jets.
Winnipeg: Defenseman Josh Morrissey
Morrissey is tied for fifth in the league with 115 blocked shots and has multiple blocked shots in eight consecutive contests. He has three points, 11 hits and nine blocked shots in seven career games against the Avalanche. Two of those points (goal and an assist) have come in the first two games of the 2017-18 season series.

The Details

Saturday's Central-Division clash between the Avs and Jets is slated for 5 p.m. MT. Fans can catch the television broadcast on Altitude 2, while the radio broadcast can be heard on Altitude Sports Radio AM 950.