Jets 5, Avalanche 1
JETS 5, AVALANCHE 1: Bryan Little had two goals and Blake Wheeler had a career-high four assists as Winnipeg took another step toward a playoff position with its third straight win by defeating visiting Colorado on Sunday.
Captain Andrew Ladd secured the win on the power play when he one-timed a pass from Wheeler at 5:40 of the third period to give the Jets a 4-1 lead. It was Ladd’s 17th of the season and first in 14 games.
Little scored his second of the night at 15:41 on the power play to cap the scoring.
After a scoreless first period, Evander Kane and Little sent a charge into the MTS Centre crowd when they scored 1:45 apart in the middle frame.
Kane tallied his 22nd of the season when he cycled around the net and backhanded home the game’s first goal at 1:45. Little pounced on a rebound in the slot for his first of the night and 17th of the season.
After Colorado’s Gabriel Landeskog scored his 15th of the season at 10:42 on the power play, Kyle Wellwood recharged the home fans with his 12th of the season less than a minute later to give the Jets a 3-1 lead after two periods.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ondrej Pavelec made 31 saves and has three wins in four career games versus Colorado. … Semyon Varlamov has made three consecutive starts in goal for the Avalanche. … Little has seven goals in his last nine games. … The Jets are tied with Toronto with 64 points but the Leafs hold the eighth and final playoff spot since they’ve played two less games.