Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche playoff preview

Be sure to check Betway to check out the latest Jets game day odds and bet on the NHL!

Over the weekend, we found out the Jets will be taking on the Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. With just a single point in the final two games of the regular season, the Jets will lock up home-ice advantage in the first round. This could be the first time the Jets could get home-ice advantage since 2019. The last time the Jets had home-ice advantage, it didn’t go their way they lost 4-2 in the first round to the St. Louis Blues.

This will be the first time the Jets and Avs will face each other in the playoffs. That includes Jets 1.0 and the original Quebec Nordiques.

The Jets would only get to play in five playoff games last year, being defeated by the Vegas Golden Knights on their way to their first Stanley Cup. The Avalanche are looking to get back to the promise land after winning the Cup in 2022. Last post season, they also lost in the first round as they were defeated by the underdog Seattle Kraken in seven games.

The Jets and Avs only played each other three times this season, with the Jets pulling off the clean sweep over the Avalanche and outscoring them 17-4. The first win over Colorado came December 7th in the Mile High City where the Jets would win 4-2, and Connor Hellebuyck would pick up his 250th career victory, stopping 32 of 34 shots.

The first game in early December saw the Jets take a 2-0 lead in Colorado and never let the Avs get closer than to within one on their way to a 4-2 win, although the Avs had a 53.31% 5v5 score-adjusted expected goal share.

A little over a week later, we got the rematch in Winnipeg, and it was another stinker for the Avs as the Jets would lay the smackdown on the Avs, winning 6-2 and owning a 66.29% 5v5 SA xG share.

Finally, the two teams met for the last time in the regular season this past Saturday in Colorado, and not only did the Jets dominate with a 7-0 win and a 55.43% 5v5 SA xG share in the game, but across all three games, the Jets outscored the Avs and had a 55.13% 5v5 SA xG share.

In the three games against the Avs, the Jets were on fire with the special teams. The Jets would go 3/6 on the power play and would kill 8 of 9 Colorado man advantages.

The goalie situations between Colorado and Winnipeg have been night and day. The Jets have started Connor Hellebuyck in all three games. He would stop 92 of 96 shots, which leads to a .959 save percentage against the Avs.

The Avalanche have played three goalies against the Jets this season. In game one on December 7th, Alexandar Georgiev would stop 24 of 27 shots. In game two, Ivan Prosvetov would stop 19 of 24 shots, and in the final game, Georgiev would get pulled after stopping 11 of 15. Justus Annunen would step in for the remaining 44:43 and stop just 5 of 8 shots. In total, the Avs’ goalies had an 8.03 save percentage against the Jets.

The Jet leading scorers against the Avalanche are Josh Morrissey with 1G, 5A, Nikolaj Ehlers with 1G, 4A, and Kyle Connor with 2G, 2A. The Avalanche only had one player score more than a point against the Jets, and without a shock, it’s Nathan Mackinnon with 1G, 2A.

A lot of the stats favor the Jets to win the series. Time will tell if the Avs are right pissed about being blown out of the water by the Jets in the regular season or maybe just the same old Avs team will give the Jets a chance to waltz through the first round.