It’s the best time of the year: time for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For the Colorado Avalanche, it starts tonight in Game 1 against the Winnipeg Jets. It’s different than it has been in the last few seasons, as they begin this series in Winnipeg rather than at Ball Arena. It’s the first time since the 2018-19 season the Avs haven’t had home-ice advantage.
Colorado Avalanche (0-0-0)
Colorado enters the playoffs on a cold streak, losing seven of their last 11 games entering the postseason. It led to their fall from nearly winning the Central Division to losing out on home-ice advantage altogether, finishing third in the division.
But, they did win their last game 5-1 against the shorthanded Edmonton Oilers. While there’s not a lot to take from the game, it could be a good confidence boost going into a grueling series matchup.
The major downside is losing Jonathan Drouin for the first round with a lower-body injury, as he was hurt in the Edmonton game. With Sam Girard likely returning to the lineup and Alexandar Georgiev kicking in the net, can the Avs steal game one on the road?
Projected Lines
Artturi Lehkonen (62) – Nathan MacKinnon (29) – Mikko Rantanen (96)
Brandon Duhaime (12) – Casey Mittelstadt (37) – Valeri Nichushkin (13)
Miles Wood (28) – Ross Colton (20) – Zach Parise (9)
Andrew Cogliano (11) – Yakov Trenin (73) – Joel Kiviranta (94)
Devon Toews (7) – Cale Makar (8)
Sam Girard (49) – Josh Manson (42)
Jack Johnson (3) – Sean Walker (26)
Alexandar Georgiev (40)
Winnipeg Jets (0-0-0)
Winnipeg enters this game one against the Avs on the back of a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night. It finished off a dominant streak to end the regular season, winning their last eight games to conclude the season.
They haven’t lost in the month of April, and one of those eight wins was their 7-0 drubbing of the Avalanche at Ball Arena last Saturday. After sweeping the season series against Colorado 3-0, they have to have all the hope and momentum in this series.
Their forward depth is something to be proud of without a major superstar. Can the likes of Gabriel Vilardi, Mark Schiefele, and captain Adam Lowry get the Jets started on the right foot in this series?
Projected Lines
Kyle Connor (81) – Mark Schiefele (55) – Gabriel Vilardi (13)
Nikolaj Ehlers (26) – Sean Monohan (23) – Tyler Toffoli (73)
Nino Niederreiter (62) – Adam Lowry (17) – Mason Appleton (22)
David Gustafsson (19) – Vladislav Namestnikov (7) – Alex Iafallo (9)
Josh Morrissey (44) – Dylan Demelo (2)
Brenden Dillon (5) – Neal Pionk (4)
Logan Stanley (64) – Dylan Samberg (54)
Connor Hellebuyck (37)
Broadcast Details
Time: 5:00 p.m. MT
Watch: ESPN2, Altitude, SN, CBC, TVAS
Listen: Altitude Sports Radio FM 92.5
Opponent’s Beat: Artic Ice Hockey