The Winnipeg Jets host the scorching Colorado Avalanche tonight after losing three of their past four games, all at home. Over the past month, Colorado has been among the league’s top teams and is scoring goals quickly. Is Winnipeg able to slow them down? In my NHL picks and predictions for Saturday, January 11, I discuss why I believe this will be a goaltending contest.
The Winnipeg Jets have struggled offensively for the last five games. They are only scoring 2.60 goals a game throughout that time, and the majority of their goals have come from power plays. Despite losing four of their past five games, the Jets have made three of their seven man-advantageous attempts. Winnipeg should be able to turn this around because they have been a fantastic club at home all season, skating to a 15-4-3 record.
The Jets will rely largely on their offensively dominant first line, which consists of Gabriel Vilardi, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor. With 24 goals, Scheifele leads the three, followed by Connor with 23 and Vilardi with 19. They haven’t been as effective as we’ve been used to seeing lately, as the three of them have combined for five goals in the team’s last five games. If the Jets are going to find success, they need more even-strength production from their top line.
One of the NHL’s top goalies, Connor Hellebuyck, has been playing exceptionally well lately. He has skated to a.926 SV% with a 1.99 GAA and is 7-1-1 in his previous nine outings. Winnipeg seldom worries about defense, especially when Hellebuyck is in goal. The most important thing for the Jets tonight is to play simple and try to score some ugly goals. That would be vital if they could force the Colorado Avalanche to play a little more sloppy so they could capitalize on their power play.
Colorado’s Mackenzie Blackwood has been excellent, going 8-1-1 in his last ten games with a 1.61 GAA and.940 SV%. Both sides have been giving up fewer than three goals per game for the past month. With just 2.23 goals allowed per game, the Avalanche have been among the league’s finest defensive teams recently. The Jets are not far behind, giving up 2.46 goals per game.
We expect see Hellebuyck and Blackwood flourish in this game because of Winnipeg’s recent scoring difficulties and the Avalanche’s inability to convert on the power play.