The Winnipeg Jets have a deep group of forwards, an excellent top pairing on defense and one of the best goalies in the world. They don’t have Cale Makar. In between yet another onslaught of power plays for the Avs against the suddenly undisciplined Jets, Makar scored one of the best goals of his distinguished NHL career. It highlighted both another dominant performance by the Avalanche in a 5-1 victory to take a 3-1 lead in this opening-round series and the difference in star power at the top of these two lineups. Game 5 is Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg, where the Avs will h ..read more

Instant reaction from the Avalanche’s 5-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. Goin’ crazy for Casey: The hole left behind by Nazem Kadri has officially been filled, and his name is Casey Mittelstadt. Acquired from the Buffalo Sabres just before the trade deadline in March, the second-line center has been nothing short of spectacular working alongside Zach Parise and Artturi Lehkonen in these playoffs. Case in point: His work along the end boards to set up Lehkonen’s first-period goal. The backhanded pass alone — perfectly slid along the ice th ..read more

The Colorado Avalanche was 20 minutes from a different kind of frustrating defeat Friday night against the Winnipeg Jets. Now it’s one win from having a stranglehold on the series. Colorado steamrolled its way to five third-period goals in Game 3, collecting a 6-2 win and a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven opening-round playoff series. There isn’t much time before Game 4 — it’s a Sunday matinee at Ball Arena. Here are the three keys for the Avalanche: 1. Home sweet home We’re not talking about the game being in Denver. The Avalanche has scored 15 goals in three games against Jets goaltender Conno ..read more

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series on Friday night, April 26, 2024, at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. Colorado leads the series 2-1.   ..read more

Instant reaction from the Avalanche’s 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 3 of their first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. 1. Stick in the face wakes Avs up: The Avs had knotted the game at 2-2 on a Nathan MacKinnon laser 2:11 into the third stanza when Winnipeg’s Gabriel Vilardi rearranged Devon Toews’ face. And woke up a sleeping giant. Vilardi hoisted his stick into Toews’ mug at the 2:37 mark, and a video review confirmed a double-minor for high-sticking. While Toews tasted blood, the Avs smelled it. The power-play puck cycled its way to Valeri Nichushkin for a great look from the le ..read more

The best comeback team in the NHL during the regular season did it again in its first home game of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche quickly erased a one-goal deficit early in the third period and got plenty of help from a suddenly undisciplined Winnipeg Jets club en route to a 6-2 victory Friday night at Ball Arena in Game 3 of this opening-round series. Colorado now leads the best-of-seven series 2-1. Game 4 is here Sunday afternoon. “We’re not going to get rattled up two, down two, or we try not to,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “We just want to stick to our process. Tha ..read more

A few weeks ago, it was hard to find a place for Joel Kiviranta in the eventual Game 1 lineup for the Colorado Avalanche. A few days into this opening-round series with the Winnipeg Jets, it’s hard to see Jared Bednar filling out one without him in it. Kiviranta was probably going to be the 13th forward for the Avs, but a lower-body injury to Jonathan Drouin created an opportunity for him, and he’s taken full advantage. He’s fit seamlessly next to Ross Colton and Miles Wood on the club’s third line, and that trio has had back-to-back strong games together. “I wouldn’t say he’s exceeded expecta ..read more

Artturi Lehkonen spent much of the regular season trying to work his way back from a serious neck injury. Two games into the postseason, he finds himself in a familiar spot: scoring big goals for a Colorado Avalanche team looking to make another run at the Stanley Cup. Small sample size aside, the Avs forward leads the Stanley Cup Playoffs in goals scored at the front. This after grinding through a difficult year that saw him missing nearly half the season after a scary collision in November. “Unreal. He just finds himself in good spots all over the ice,” Avs forward Zach Parise said. “He’s a ..read more

What a difference one solid goaltending performance can make. Alexandar Georgiev redeemed himself after a rough Game 1, and the Avalanche evened the opening-round series Tuesday night with the Winnipeg Jets. Now the best-of-seven series is 1-1 and much of the discourse is about what the Jets need to do, not the Avalanche. Colorado has dictated the terms of engagement in this series. Winnipeg will want that to change, but can the Jets make it happen at Ball Arena? They did twice during the regular season. Here are the three keys for the Avalanche: 1. Keep cleaning up The Avalanche allowed five ..read more

WINNIPEG — The Colorado Avalanche desperately needed a save, and Alexandar Georgiev delivered the biggest one of his season to date. Colorado trailed 2-1 in Game 2 at Canada Life Centre. The Avs had just squandered a four-minute power play, missed on a Grade-A scoring chance and allowed the go-ahead goal on a fantastic one-handed tip-in by Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele. Given the way Game 1 had gone, it’s not that much of a stretch to say that Game 2 and clear control of the series hung breathlessly in the balance Tuesday night when Josh Manson and Jack Johnson had a miscommunication, an ..read more