At 11:00 a.m., the Avs coaches held a short video session with the players in the same room as the stretch to discuss the contest versus Winnipeg. The meeting lasted only 10 minutes, though some of the players had one-on-one video sessions with the assistant coaches afterward.
The team members then went downstairs for a pregame meal before going back to their rooms to get a short nap in.
In the afternoon, Colorado had two buses that went to MTS Centre, which is just a couple blocks from the team's hotel. The first bus left at 3:15 p.m., while the second one departed at 3:45 p.m. It was only a six-minute ride to the arena.
Once at the rink, the Avs did their final preparations for the game, holding special teams meetings, taping sticks and warming up before taking the ice. Puck drop was at 6:15 p.m.
The contest did not go well for the Avalanche, as the Jets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back, winning 6-1. Gabriel Landeskog tallied Colorado's only goal with 16 seconds left in the third, while Calvin Pickard and Jeremy Smith split time in the net.
After the final horn rang, the club quickly packed up and headed to the airport. The buses pulled out of the MTS Centre loading dock at 9:18 p.m., and the team's charter flight was up in the air 70 minutes later, an impressive turnaround given the players, coaches and staff had to go through U.S. customs before boarding the plane.
The journey from Winnipeg to Denver was an hour and 50 minutes long, with the team having dinner and resting up from the contest during the flight.
The early game and switching time zones helped the Avs land at a decent hour, as their charter flight touched down at 11:18 p.m. MT. The club members gathered their belongings and went to their cars for a drive back to their homes.
Getting rest and recovery will be key for the players as they have a game against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday night at Pepsi Center
