Winnipeg (15-16-2) opened the trip in St. Louis, Missouri, where their two-game point streak was snapped in a 1-0 loss to Manitoban goaltender Joel Hofer and the Blues. Justin Faulk scored the lone goal at 13:17 of the second period, his eighth of the season. Connor Hellebuyck made 25 saves in the loss, while the Jets went 3-for-3 on the penalty kill and 0-for-2 on the power play.
The Avalanche (24-2-7) enter the matchup riding a three-game win streak and a six-game point streak, coming off a 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night. Nathan MacKinnon registered three points (2G, 1A), while Martin Necas added two assists. Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 35 shots to earn his 10th win of the season.
Only two teams have defeated the Avalanche at Ball Arena this season, the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes, both in 5-4 shootout decisions back in November, adding to the challenge for the Jets as no team has beaten Colorado on home ice in regulation. Winnipeg and Colorado will meet three more times after tonight, with all remaining matchups coming in March: March 14 and 26 in Winnipeg, followed by March 28 back in Denver.
In my mind, the Jets should be in full panic mode right now, as nothing has been working since early November. Since their 3-0 loss to the L.A. Kings on Nov. 4, Winnipeg is just 6-13-2, an unacceptable stretch for this group. Even when the Jets do put together a strong performance, like Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals in arguably their best game of the season, they’ve failed to build on it. Two nights later against the Ottawa Senators, they blew a 2-1 lead late in the third period and were fortunate to escape with a point before falling 3-2 in overtime.
Offence also remains a major concern. Wednesday in St. Louis was an off night for the top line, and the result was no goals on the board. Hellebuyck was the lone reason the game stayed close, as it easily could have been 4-0. Expectations are low heading into tonight’s matchup against an Avalanche team that has lost just two regulation games all season, as the Jets continue to struggle and rely heavily on Hellebuyck to keep them competitive.
Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. CST on TSN3 for those interested in tuning in.