The Colorado Avalanche spent most of Saturday afternoon trying to catch up but came up short in a 3–1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.
Winnipeg took control early in the second period and never really let go, while goaltender Connor Hellebuyck stopped nearly everything Colorado sent his way. Martin Nečas finally got the Avalanche on the board late in the third period, but the comeback push came too late.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar each picked up an assist on the goal. Veteran defenseman
Brent Burns also reached a milestone, playing in his 990th straight NHL game and moving past Keith Yandle for the second-longest ironman streak in league history.
Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 saves on 17 shots in the loss.
For Winnipeg, Kyle Connor scored to reach 30 goals for the eighth time in his career. Alex Iafallo and Cole Perfetti also scored, while Hellebuyck finished with 28 saves.
First Period
The first period was a slow start offensively, with both teams feeling each other out and combining for just 13 shots.
Midway through the period, Brock Nelson was called for roughing after a stick battle along the boards with Iafallo. Nelson shoved him to get his stick free and was sent to the penalty box.
Colorado’s penalty kill did its job, holding the Jets without a single shot during the power play.
Late in the period, the Avalanche earned a power play when Mark Scheifele wrapped up Devon Toews while racing for the puck along the boards. Officials called the penalty with just over 20 seconds left in the period.
The horn sounded before the power play could start, so Colorado carried 1:40 of man-advantage time into the second period. After 20 minutes, the Avalanche held an 8–5 edge in shots, but the game remained scoreless.
Second Period
Winnipeg didn’t take long to grab the lead.
Just over two minutes into the period, the Jets scored shortly after killing off Colorado’s power play. Scheifele stepped out of the penalty box, picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and spotted Connor rushing into the offensive zone. He sent a pass to the left circle, where Connor snapped a shot past Blackwood to make it 1–0.
The Jets added another midway through the period. A shot from Scheifele at the point hit Iafallo in the slot. The puck dropped right to him, and he quickly fired it past a screened Blackwood to make it 2–0.
Colorado tried to answer by pushing harder around the net. A little later, Makar moved across the blue line and fired a shot toward the net, but Hellebuyck caught it cleanly with his glove.
The Avalanche almost got on the board at the end of the period. Nelson was alone at the side of the crease with the puck bouncing on his stick, but his quick attempt slid across the goalmouth and out of the zone.
The miss kept Winnipeg in front 2–0 heading into the third.
Third Period
Colorado got an early power play when Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Bryson was called for high-sticking Parker Kelly.
Even with the chance, the Avalanche had trouble breaking through against Hellebuyck and the Jets’ defense.
They finally got one late in the game. With Blackwood pulled for an extra attacker, MacKinnon slid the puck across the ice to Nečas, who blasted a one-timer into the net to cut the lead to 2–1. It was Colorado’s first regular-season goal at Canada Life Centre since Jack Johnson scored there on December 16, 2023.
Any comeback hopes ended soon after.
MacKinnon lost control of the puck in the neutral zone, and Winnipeg quickly moved the other way. Perfetti picked up the loose puck and scored into the empty net to seal the 3–1 win.
Next Game
The Avalanche (44-12-9) host Sam Girard and the Pittsburgh Penguins (32-18-15) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. MT on ESPN and Altitude Sports Radio 92.5 FM.
