Recap: Avalanche lose 3-2 in OT to Jets in classic matchup

17 hours ago  /  Mile High Hockey

Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images


The Avalanche broke Hellebuyck’s 215-minute shutout streak but it wasn’t enough. The Winnipeg Jets defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 in overtime in a classic barnburner at Ball Arena despite missing their captain Adam Lowry. Colorado has now suffered back-to-back defeats, although they still earned a point for taking it past their originally scheduled distance.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar scored for the Avalanche, Jonathan Drouin had two assists and Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews each had an assist. The goaltenders were also outstanding. Connor Hellebuyck turned away 25 of the 27 shots he faced, and MacKenzie Blackwood allowed three goals on 25 shots.
First Period
It was a goalie show in the opening period as the game remained scoreless and Colorado outshot Winnipeg 9-8.
Second Period
Nathan MacKinnon broke the ice in the second period when he put home his own rebound to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. As is the custom, he used his signature speed to open up a shooting opportunity. His first shot rang off the post but that threw Hellebuyck out of position, giving just enough time for the NHL’s leading point scorer to smack one in the net.
The Jets answered back thanks to Morgan Barron, who scored when David Gustafsson found him skating down the left wing unguarded toward the net and fed him a cross-ice pad for a sick backhander that snuck by the outstretched Blackwood.
With 1:17 remaining in the period, Gabriel Vilardi gave the Jets the lead when he redirected a shot from Josh Morrisey as a quartet of bodies screened Blackwood in front of the net. Colorado spent much of the sequence pinned down in their own zone before Winnipeg regained control of the puck and the game.
Third Period
After a scoreless second period that saw a 10-9 shot advantage for the Avalanche, they spent much of the final frame trying to penetrate Hellebuyck’s tight guard. Makar was able to do just that with a highlight-reel goal when he scored top-shelf with a wrister while going down from a trip. Drouin and Rantanen were credited with assists, and the latter set up Makar with a slot pass that propelled him to drive to the net.
Overtime
The Jets scored 17 seconds into overtime for the win when Neal Pionk ripped a slap shot past Blackwood to pick up the win. Winnipeg won the initial faceoff and immediately initiated a breakout, briefly catching MacKinnon out of position. Pionk sprinted down the right side of the ice with plenty of room and caught a pass from Vladislav Namestnikov before blasting it by Blackwood.

Takeaways
With the win, the Jets (32-14-3) take the season series over the Avalanche (28-19-2) three games to one. This was just a great performance between two incredible teams that could fight for the conference championship in the playoffs. The only team with more points than the Jets (67) right now is the Washington Capitals (69) and Colorado was right there the entire game knocking on the door outshooting and outplaying the Jets during long stretches. Still, Hellebuyck was just out of this world and has been for the last few seasons. In fact, Hellebuyck had a shutout streak of 140 minutes until MacKinnon’s goal. Furthermore, two of his six shutouts this season have come against Colorado.
The Jets were coming off a bad loss against the Utah Hockey Club, a defeat their head coach Scott Arniel described as “embarrassing,” as he called himself and the team out for their poor play. The players seemed to have taken that to heart and came out tonight feeling reinvigorated.
We definitely got caught napping during the overtime, and Winnipeg made us pay the price, but we shouldn’t look at that mistake and look down. In retrospect, Colorado overperformed tonight. We’re playing some great hockey, and a win is around the corner.
Upcoming
The Avalanche are hitting the road. They take on the Boston Bruins on Saturday at TD Garden. Puck drop is at 11 a.m. local time. ...

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