Recap: Avalanche blanked by Hellebuyck, Jets
Photo by Jonathan Kozub/NHLI via Getty Images
Connor Hellebuyck continues to reign over the Avs. Saturday night stinker for the Colorado Avalanche.
The visitors would fall in frigid Manitoba in a 3-0 shutout effort from Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets. The home continued to stamp their place at the top of the Central Division with their 29th win of the season and league-leading 61 points.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche stumble out in the first wild card spot in the Western Conference and not much to show for on this road trip. Here’s how it all went down in Winnipeg.
First Period
It didn’t take long for the Winnipeg Jets to make an impact in the game. Nikolaj Ehlers scored just 1:08 in to give the hosts the lead.
OH SO PRETTY pic.twitter.com/8X1o8iPMVl— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 12, 2025
With Winnipeg playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, they didn’t look like the team doing so. They were all over the Avalanche, doing everything but scoring a second. This included killing off a Dylan Coghlan high-sticking penalty on Ross Colton.
In the second half of the period, the Avs found its legs and had opportunities. But Hellebuyck was up to the task, stopping the 10 shots he faced to keep the donut on the board going into the middle frame.
Second Period
Mikko Rantanen had a great chance in the opening minutes as he charged into the zone down low, but it caught the stick of Hellebuyck. He continued to stop everything thrown at him, but Colorado still didn’t challenge him enough.
Then the tide would swing in favor of Winnipeg. Kyle Connor got two great looks just moments apart, where Mackenzie Blackwood denied him and then found the iron. Eventually, his teammate Mark Schiefele would find the twine on a broken play to double the advantage.
That's 2️⃣5️⃣ for 5️⃣5️⃣! pic.twitter.com/7Hjkps7x2g— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 12, 2025
The Jets were unlucky not to get a third, as Schifele nearly had a second go five-hole on Blackwood. Plus, Neal Pionk rang it off the post in the final minute. Nonetheless, the home team held a seemingly comfortable two-goal lead into the final 20 minutes.
Third Period
The Avalanche got an early power play opportunity when Connor caught Jere Innala up high in a puck battle. Colorado finally found some life on the man advantage, throwing pucks in down low, but not finding any twine.
Ultimately, it would be about all they got in the final frame. Winnipeg played shut down hockey, wrapped up the shutout, and put the icing on the cake with Ehelers’ second goal on an empty netter to snag the win.
Takeaways
Hellebuyck continues to just shut down the Avalanche. Earlier in the season, it only took one goal against then-Avs goaltender Alexandar Georgiev to get the 1-0 win for Winnipeg. This time, it was a three-goal win for the Jets but the play of Hellebuyck remained the same. He now has shut out Colorado for almost the last 200 regular season minutes. The lone win the Avalanche have against Winnipeg this season was on New Year's Eve when they didn’t face Hellebuyck, but rather Eric Comrie. They need to figure him out and challenge him more, especially if these two meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs once again.
Up and down the Avalanche lineup, there wasn’t much to write home about. Juuso Parssinen and Casey Mittelstadt traded places as the 2C and 3C respectively for this game, but it didn’t make much of an impact. The big guns didn’t create many opportunities, and the entire team was held to only 22 shots on net. Winnipeg did exactly what they wanted to do, and it’s what has won them games all season: shut down the Avs and play solid defensive hockey to win this one.
Tonight’s game wrapped up an important three-game road trip for the Avs. They faced all Central Division opponents. While the win over the Minnesota Wild on a back-to-back was impressive, it doesn’t make up for what is a disappointing trip overall. They lost to an inferior Chicago Blackhawks team and didn’t play up to their potential while falling short against the division leaders. What could’ve been a potentially season-altering trip, Colorado continues to mingle in the middle of the pack when it comes to the standings.
Upcoming
The Avalanche head back home for the first of a five-game home stand against the New York Rangers. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. MT on Tuesday....
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