Jets at Avalanche
The Winnipeg Jets finally have their first three-game winning streak of the season, but there is another streak more important to their playoff hopes entering Saturday’s visit to the Colorado Avalanche. The Jets won nine straight contests against Central Division competition, and with their next three games against division foes, there is an opportunity to crawl back into a wild-card spot.
“It’s a great, great win for us,” Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec told reporters after making 39 saves in the Jets’ 4-3 victory Thursday in Dallas. “Now we go to Colorado and we want the two points.” The Avalanche have not won since Jan. 6, a nine-game slide (0-8-1 that sunk Colorado deeper to the bottom of the NHL standings. Rookie goaltender Spencer Martin allowed five goals in Wednesday’s 5-0 defeat at Los Angeles as the Avalanche surrendered five goals for the third time in their last four games. “We’re trying as hard as we can,” Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog told the media afterward, “but for whatever reason, things aren’t going our way.”
TV: 3 p.m. ET, TSN3 (Winnipeg), Altitude (Denver)
ABOUT THE JETS (25-25-4): Winnipeg’s offense shined most of the season and especially of late, scoring 30 goals as the Jets have won five of their past seven. Center Bryan Little brings a seven-game point streak (seven goals, four assists) into Saturday, while center Mark Scheifele entered Friday ranked sixth in the NHL in points with 53 (25 goals, including two Thursday). The Jets allowed a power-play goal in nine of the past 11 games.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (13-33-2): Calvin Pickard took over as top goaltender with Semyon Varlamov out for the season following hip surgery, but is 7-14-1 this season. Rookie forward Mikko Rantanen scored in two of his past three games and has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 43 contests. Colorado scored 15 goals during their 0-8-1 streak and rank next-to-last in the NHL entering Friday on the power play (13.6 percent).
OVERTIME
1. Colorado claimed D Mark Barberio (plus-1 rating in 26 games this season) on waivers from Montreal on Thursday.
2. Pavelec is 4-2-0 in six starts since being recalled from Manitoba of the AHL, posting a .901 save percentage.
3. Winnipeg is 2-0-1 in three meetings with Colorado this season, getting three points apiece from Scheifele and F Patrik Laine.