Avalanche at Jets
The Winnipeg Jets bid to even their season series with the Colorado Avalanche on Friday as they attempt to defeat their Central Division rival for the second time on their franchise-high 10-game homestand. Connor Hellebuyck turned aside all 25 shots he faced in the Jets' 3-0 victory on Feb. 3 to highlight their current 4-2-1 stretch at Bell MTS Place.
Winnipeg owns a 7-2-2 mark in its last 11 overall and 21-5-2 record at home to raise expectations north of the border. "We're embracing that pressure. We expect the best out of ourselves. I think we put more pressure on ourselves than the fans put on us," said Bryan Little, who scored in the Jets' 4-3 overtime victory over Washington on Tuesday. Slowing down the high-flying Jets will be the responsibility of Semyon Varlamov, who improved his save percentage to .936 in his past 11 games by turning aside all 43 shots he faced in Colorado's 2-0 win over Montreal on Wednesday. The victory was the first for the 29-year-old Russian since Dec. 29, and he sustained a groin injury in his next start versus Winnipeg - the Avalanche won 3-2 in overtime - before returning to face the Jets on Feb. 3.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), TSN3 (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (31-21-4): Sidelined for his team's last seven games, center Nathan MacKinnon (team-leading 61 points) inched closer to returning to the lineup after taking part in an optional practice on Thursday. The 22-year-old did not travel with the team to Winnipeg but could return against Edmonton on Sunday, coach Jared Bednar said. "It's a big hole and we've missed him. We've managed to tread water here and carve out some points without him," Bednar said of the Avalanche's 4-3-0 mark without MacKinnon in the lineup. "Certainly, adding him back into our lineup changes things significantly for us, so we're looking forward to when that day comes."
ABOUT THE JETS (33-15-9): Mark Scheifele scored a short-handed goal with 15 seconds remaining in the third period on Tuesday before capping his three-point performance (two goals, one assist) by threading a pass to Tyler Myers for the winner in overtime. The 24-year-old Scheifele's goal in the first period - his first since returning from a 16-game absence due to an upper-body injury - was made possible by a nifty feed from defenseman Dustin Byfuglien, who has five points (one goal, four assists) in his past five contests. Blake Wheeler, who has seven assists in his last seven games, has scored two goals and set up two others versus Colorado this season.
OVERTIME
1. Colorado RW Blake Comeau returned to practice on Thursday and is expected to end a three-game absence due to a lower-body injury versus Winnipeg.
2. Jets C Mathieu Perreault has seven points (one goal, six assists) in the past nine contests.
3. Avalanche C Alexander Kerfoot has scored in back-to-back games after being held off the scoresheet in each of his previous six tilts.