Avalanche at Jets
The Colorado Avalanche enjoyed rarefied air with a stellar start to the season before a sputtering offense and faulty special-teams play caused their fortunes to take a tumble. After mustering just 15 goals in their last eight contests, the Avalanche look to reignite their scoring touch when they visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. A fruitless power play and a passive penalty kill proved to be Colorado's undoing in a 3-1 setback to Phoenix on Tuesday.
"They score on their power play, we didn't, and then I think we're just getting away from our game," Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog said. Such has been the trend for Colorado, which is 0-for-22 on the power play over its last eight games while yielding 11 goals while a man down in 12 contests. Winnipeg's struggles at home continued on Tuesday as its winless streak at MTS Centre reached four games with a 2-1 setback to St. Louis.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Altitude (Colorado), TSN (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (20-9-0): Although Paul Stastny has been held off the scoresheet in each of the last seven games, he has fared well when facing the Jets. Stastny, who is averaging a point per game in 10 meetings with Winnipeg, scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period and added an assist in Colorado's 3-2 victory over the Jets on Oct. 27. Semyon Varlamov, who made 23 saves in the previous meeting, will face Winnipeg for the 10th time in his career (5-3-0).
ABOUT THE JETS (14-14-4): Bryan Little snapped an eight-game goal-scoring drought with his team-leading 13th tally on Tuesday. The 26-year-old collected a goal and an assist against Colorado in the first meeting and has netted five tallies and set up three others in eight encounters. Veteran Olli Jokinen has stepped up his production with three goals and two assists in his last five contests.
OVERTIME
1. Jets LW Evander Kane will miss at least two more games with a lower-body injury, coach Claude Noel told reporters on Wednesday.
2. Landeskog, who has been held off the scoresheet in the last two games, had two goals and four assists in his previous four contests.
3. Winnipeg has dropped 12 of its 15 meetings with Central Division rivals (3-10-2).