<h2>Wheat Kings outscored 24-14 in playoffs</h2>The Brandon Wheat Kings have been bounced from the Western Hockey League postseason in just four games. Yes, it took just four showings against the powerful Moose Jaw Warriors to send Manitoba's lone WHL club packing this postseason.After 68 games of blood, sweat and tears to claim a seed in the ultra-competitive Canadian Hockey League playoff season, Brandon was sent home by way of a sweep at the hands of the Warriors. The Wheat Kings, which finished 33-28-6-1 on the year were unable to find a postseason victory, falling to a strong 44-21-0-3 Moose Jaw group. And it was rather lopsided. As a matter of fact, of the eight first-round series, exactly half finished in the minimum four games, while just one went six games. The other three series made it to just five.Things did not begin well for Brandon, and they ended even worse.Falling 7-4 in the series opener on the road, the Wheat Kings forced overtime in Game 2, but ultimately came out on the bottom of a 5-4 final. They returned home to Westoba Place for Games 3 and 4, but were unable to flip the script. Giving up 12 total goals between the two games, Brandon lost 6-4, before dropping the final game of the year 6-2. Moose Jaw is now set to face off against Swift Current on Friday in the first test of the seven-game, second-round playoff series, while the Wheat Kings will hang up the skates until next fall. The CHL's 2024 Memorial Cup will be held in Saginaw this year, where the host Spirit will take on the league champions from the OHL, WHL and QMJHL in a four-team, round robin year-end championship.

Wheat Kings Swept Out of WHL Postseason

<h2>Jets eliminated from postseason in 6-3 defeat to avalanche</h2>It will be a long summer for the Winnipeg Jets.The 2023-24 season and post-season are over and once again, the Jets weren’t good enough.&nbsp;This time, the Colorado Avalanche were simply too much. The Avs were faster, quicker and tougher and now the Jets brain trust will have to spend another long off-season trying to figure out how to compete with those teams that truly can be considered the game’s best.Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre, the Jets scored first and then watched as the Avalanche played like a team that was destined to win the series. They didn’t do much, but they did enough to end the Jets 2023-24 dream with a 6-3 victory, becoming the fourth team in NHL history to score at least five goals in each of their first five games of the post-season.&nbsp;It should have been different. This Jets team, a team that had beaten Colorado all three times during the regular season, couldn’t get a break and couldn’t muster enough offence to beat an opponent that played inspired hockey in Games 2, 3 and 4. Their William Jennings Trophy-winning goaltender couldn’t steal a game for them, their big scorers didn’t score and the defence couldn’t corral the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen.&nbsp;Oh, the Jets were definitely better in Game 5 at home, but the Avs had too much momentum and too much speed to give up an impressive three-game win streak of their own.In the end, Colorado simply had a better hockey team.Winnipeg opened the scoring at 1:15 of the first period on a fluke. With the Colorado net empty and the puck in the crease, when defenceman Josh Manson fired a clearing pass off the leg of teammate Artturi Lehkonen and puck went right to the back of the net. Kyle Connor got credit for the goal, his third of the playoffs, but it just seemed to piss off the Avs.Colorado scored two minutes later as Valeri Nichushkin ripped one passed Connor Hellebuyck from the right circle. It was Nichushkin’s seventh goal of the series.Colorado outshot Winnipeg 13-7 but didn’t dominate the period by any stretch. The difference was, the Avs shot the puck while the Jets just played around with it. Combine the Jets failure to shoot with the fact that Colorado doesn’t hesitate and the Avs had themselves a 1-1 tie at the end of what might have been their weakest period of the series.&nbsp;In the second period, the Jets might have played their best 20-minute stretch in the series and yet came out of it down 3-2. They outshot Colorado 19-11 and should have been in complete control, but two horrible mistakes and some spineless officiating left the Jets looking up at a one-goal deficit heading into what would be the final period of the post-season.Colorado’s Yakov Trenin scored at 5:42 of the second to give the Avs a 2-1 lead, but Josh Morrissey scored on a rocket from the point on the power play to tie it up. Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi drew the assists and the Jets suddenly had some jump.They controlled the rest of the period and outshot Colorado 7-3 late as they continued to pepper Avs goalie Alexandar Georgiev. But Georgiev barred the door until Artturi Lehkonen scored his fifth of the playoffs on a dump from the point to the corner. That’s right, the puck was simply fired into the corner when it hit Neil Pionk’s stick in front and was redirected into the empty net. It was the kind of fluke goal that can break a team, especially one that’s already fragile.&nbsp;The Jets trailed 3-2 after 40 minutes and there was no real reason for it. A lack of puck-luck -- something that had hurt them for stretches during the season -- was killing the Jets again.Early in the third period, the Jets thrilled the raucous white-clad faithful when Tyler Toffoli blasted a wrist shot passed a startled Georgiev and suddenly the Jets had drawn even. There appeared to be hope.However, the celebration would be short-lived.Mikko Rantanen scored his first of the playoffs at 4:11 and then Rantanen took a gorgeous pass from MacKinnon and ripped it past Hellebuyck at 8:01 to put the game and the series away. Josh Manson scored into an empty net at 19:58 of the third but at that point, only Manson cared.The Jets outshot Colorado 11-8 in the third and 36-32 overall, but nobody cared about that, either.&nbsp;The final 12 minutes were tough for everybody in the downtown barn, but be certain, no one took it harder than the Jets players themselves. On this night, they had played well enough to win, but they didn’t and for the second straight year, they were out of the playoffs in five games.Fact is, they simply weren’t good enough and there really isn’t much more to say.For the Winnipeg Jets, it’s going to be another long summer.&nbsp;

Another Long Summer Ahead for the Winnipeg Jets

<h2>Jets come up empty again to colorado's attack:</h2>The Winnipeg Jets are going home, for good. On Tuesday night, the Colorado Avalanche finished off the Jets by way of a 6-3 final from Canada Life Centre in Game 5 of the opening round Stanley Cup Playoffs series. No, not many expected the series to be done before Game 6, and after the 7-6 Game 1 victory by Winnipeg, it was looking like Colorado, not the Jets, that would be going home early.However, the lower-ranked seed proved to be the tougher out, as the Avalanche followed the Vegas Golden Knights' 2023 postseason script and took care of Winnipeg with four-straight wins. If the Avalanche continue following that path, they will win the Stanley Cup. Winnipeg came out firing and scored first on Tuesday, but then failed to capitalize on any other chance until midway through the second period. Colorado scored two quick ones, before pulling ahead 3-2 as the second period came to a close.Tyler Toffoli breathed a breath of fresh air into Canada Life Centre with a goal general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff had visions of back on trade deadline day, but Winnipeg once again could not hold off Colorado's pressure.The Avs potted the eventual winner just two minutes after Toffoli's strike, before adding an insurance marker and an empty-netter as time ticked down on the Jets' season.Captains Adam Lowry and Josh Morrissey spoke following the game, with both passionately defending their teammates, while jointly challenging their group to learn and be better over the summer months in order to put a better foot forward next spring. Head coach Rick Bowness would not comment on his plans for next season, as the Jets do have a third-year option on his contract. But his indications were that of pointing towards being in Winnipeg for training camp.Next up for the Jets is locker clean-out day on Thursday morning. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785486368455458932">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785486368455458932</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785487287666569296">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785487287666569296</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785488318320308391">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785488318320308391</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785492597382820118">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785492597382820118</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785505605110644862">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785505605110644862</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785516868993757229">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785516868993757229</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785527361133273595">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785527361133273595</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785527779468960076">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1785527779468960076</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Tuesday's game vs. Colorado is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/image3.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/image4.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/image0-5.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/image1.jpeg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04190.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04247.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04500.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04453.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04451.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04473.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04474.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04634.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04553.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04566.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04787.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04874.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04877.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04917.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04975.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc04984.jpg">QUOTABLE:Josh Morrissey post-game:"Right now, it’s just disappointing and frustrating. It feels like a missed opportunity. But, the only way that there is any good from this is that we learn from it and we actually look at how we can improve as individuals and as a group. Because, they brought that Stanley Cup-winning class to this series, and we didn’t return it for three or four of those games. We have levels that we need to find this offseason. I hope it stings for all of us into the summer and we use it as motivation."Adam Lowry post-game:"They’re an elite team over there, they have high-end talent and I think when we look back at the series, special teams, especially our penalty kill, that really hurt us in a couple of big moments and in a couple of games. Just our inability to get to our 5-on-5 game until tonight. Those will be the two keys that you take away. Credit to the Avs. They played a hell of a series and they’ve got a great team. They’re going to be a tough out."

Game On Game 5 Recap: Winnipeg Jets 3 Colorado Avalanche 6

<h2>A very different winnipeg jets club has shown up in the playoffs</h2>The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different animal from the National Hockey League’s 82-game regular season, and the Winnipeg Jets have looked more like prey than the predator this postseason.The Jets are facing elimination as they arrive home to face the Colorado Avalanche in Game 5 of their first-round matchup Tuesday.Winnipeg’s efforts in the series have been staggeringly different from their three-game regular season sweep of the Avalanche. These polarizing statistics highlight Winnipeg’s decline over the past four games.A series of success In three matchups with the Avs during the regular season, the Jets looked dominant, outscoring Colorado 17-to-4.Connor Hellebuyck stopped 92-of-96 Avalanche shot attempts, posting a .958 save percentage, while earning one shutout in their April 13 matchup.Winnipeg managed to hold Colorado superstar Nathan MacKinnon to just one goal and three assists over the three-game series.A fading star Winger Nikolaj Ehlers averaged nearly two points-per-game in three regular season meetings with Colorado this year, tallying a goal and four assists finishing with a plus-six rating.Ehlers, who finished third on the team in regular season points with 61, has been noticeably quiet so far this series.Ehlers has just one assist, no goals, and is minus-two against the very same Avalanche in four playoff games.Not to be negative, but… The Jets’ Danish star winger is not the only one who has struggled in the plus-minus column this series.Defenceman Nate Schmidt – the Jets’ lone goal scorer in Game 4 – holds the team’s worst plus-minus rating at minus-five. He has played only two games in the series.Mark Scheifele leads the team in scoring with five points in the series. Despite his team-leading offensive output, Scheifele shares a minus-four rating with Dylan Samberg—tied for second worst on the team.Brenden Dillon, who missed game four with a lacerated hand, is one of only two Winnipeg Jets with a positive plus-minus rating in the series—he and Neal Pionk’s plus-one ratings lead the team.The Connor Hellebuyck Blues Connor Hellebuyck made an excellent case for a second Vezina Trophy throughout the regular season, being nominated for the award for the fourth time in his career.Hellebuyck’s .921 save percentage led all starting goaltenders in the regular season. His 2.39 goals against average placed second among starters, while he posted another second-best 37 wins.Despite facing a flurry of shots in his first four games, Hellebuyck’s save percentage has raised concerns at .870, fourth-worst among netminders who have played three or more playoff games.His 5.22 goals against average more than doubles his regular season numbers, and is second worst among starters in the playoffs, trailing only Cam Talbot of the Kings.A team effort Regardless of individual struggles, the Winnipeg Jets have struggled as a team this postseason, failing to build on their momentum after riding an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs.The Jets tied for the league-lead in fewest goals allowed in the regular season with 2.41 goals allowed.In the postseason, the Jets have conceded a playoff-worst 5.50 goals allowed, a full goal worse per-game than the second-worst Los Angeles Kings.Winnipeg finished middle of the pack in shots allowed throughout the regular season, conceding a modest 29.6 shots per game.They have allowed a league-worst 38.3 shots per game to the Avalanche in round one, more than five shots greater than the second-worst New York Islanders, who have allowed 32.8 shots per game.The Jets’ 30.3 shots per game average in the regular season has also declined, posting only 26 shots per game in the playoffs.White-clad fans will flood the streets of downtown Winnipeg on Tuesday night, as their beloved Jets try to change the narrative of their first-round woes and force another do-or-die Game 6 in Denver on Thursday.The puck drops at Canada Life Centre at 8:50 PM central time. The game can be viewed live on Sportsnet.

A Tale of Two Teams

<h2>MOose fall out of postseason in first round for third-straight year</h2>The 2023-2024 Manitoba Moose campaign has come to a bitter end.With two-straight losses in their best-of-three divisional series against the Texas Stars, the Moose have now bowed out of the first (or preliminary) round of the Calder Cup Playoffs three years in a row.The No. 4 seed Stars outscored the No. 5 seed Moose by a total of 8-3 in the two games played at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, winning 6-3 in Game 1 and 2-0 in Game 2.Although the Moose finished lower in the Central Division standings than the Stars, past results between these two teams suggested the Moose had a high chance of advancing past the first round.Before the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Moose had won four of their last five contests against the Dallas Stars’ AHL affiliate, outscoring them by a substantial 27-12 margin.When you also consider the individual successes of players like Brad Lambert (21 goals, 34 assists), Nikita Chibrikov (17 goals, 30 assists), and Kyle Capobianco (12 goals, 42 assists) — the 2023-24 recipient of the Eddie Shore Award for the AHL’s most outstanding defenceman — it makes you wonder, where did things go wrong?Game 1:The first game between the two teams came down to costly mistakes made by Manitoba in the second period.The Moose started slow, being outshot by the Stars 12-3, but they got on the board first after Daniel Torgersson’s tap-in goal in front of the Stars’ net.Manitoba’s lead lasted all of 37 seconds after Mavrik Bourque – the 22-year-old forward awarded the AHL’s 2023-24 most valuable player – sniped one home past Thomas Milic off the rush to tie the game at ones entering the second.The Moose’s second period was 20 minutes of hockey characterized by turnovers and defensive lapses in coverage.The Stars took advantage of their opportunities and exploded for three goals by Curtis Mckenzie, Michael Karow, and Christian Kyrou making the game 4-1.The Moose responded with goals from Chibrikov late in the second and Parker Ford in the third to make it a 4-3 game, but the three-goal deficit proved to be too much to recover from, as the Stars added two more goals, sealing the 6-3, Game 1 victory.“We didn’t execute. That’s what playoffs are all about,” forward Parker Ford shared with Moose reporter Austin Siragusa postgame.Many of the execution woes for Manitoba were made in the defensive zone with careless passes and unforced turnovers to the hungry Stars.Despite allowing five goals against, Milic carried his success from the regular season (19-9-3 record) into this game, making 30 saves and giving his team life throughout.Game 2:Manitoba’s Game 2 loss was another case of lacking execution, but this time offensively.Stars centreman Fredrik Karlström scored the only two goals in the game, both coming on the power play.Netminder Remi Poirier was the story of the night, stopping all 41 shots he faced in a game dominated by Manitoba.“We threw everything we had at him; sometimes you just have to tip your cap,” veteran Moose forward Dominic Toninato said with credit to Poirier postgame.Although the outcome is frustrating for the Moose, Toninato did say that the team came a long way from the season’s beginnings.“This team has been through a lot… many ups and downs,” said Toninato.At Christmas, the Moose found themselves sitting dead last in the AHL standings and amid an 11-game losing streak.To make it all the way back to a playoff spot from the very bottom does speak to the resiliency of this club.What Now?With another Moose season now officially in the book, what happens next?The answer lies in one word: youth.With the development of their young up-and-coming talent, the Moose will be an intriguing team to follow next season. Head coach Mark Morrison and his staff will be tasked with trying to remain competitive while continuing to develop players like Lambert, Chibrikov, Torgersson, Milic, Chaz Lucius and Simon Lundmark for the big show.These prospects will be catalysts for the Moose in the 2024-2025 season, and will need to continue to grow their game, adapting to the pro level both on and off the ice.Colby Barlow and Elias Salomonsson will also be expected to make the full-time jump to the AHL next season.Although Barlow didn’t make an appearance in the playoffs, he did get a recent taste of some AHL action, scoring three points (one goal, two assists) in three games to end the season.&nbsp;Salomonsson is a young, talented Swede who will likely slide into an immediate top-four role on the blue line.As they were this season, the Moose will be one of the youngest teams in the AHL next season. They will need to embrace the youth in their lineup and learn from the veterans what it takes to be successful against players bigger, faster and stronger if they want to take the next step in their careers.

Moose Eliminated by Texas in Two-Straight: What Comes Next?

<h2>Wheat Kings fall 4-1 in TELUS Cup Final</h2>Canada’s No. 1 ranked U18 AAA Brandon Wheat Kings found themselves in an unfamiliar position as underdogs heading into the TELUS Cup final on Sunday.The Wheat Kings – despite their first regulation loss during the West Regionals – were still considered the heavy favorites entering the year-end national championship.&nbsp;The U18 powerhouse – which went an outstanding 43-0-1 in the Manitoba AAA regular season – fell 4-1 to the Magog Cantonniers in the TELUS Cup final in Membertou, Nova Scotia.&nbsp;Magog, which posted a 5-0 record in the preliminary round, sailed to a 7-3 win over the Markham Waxers of Ontario on Saturday to secure top spot and home ice advantage in the final.&nbsp;For the Wheat Kings, it was Brady Turko and Canadian Elite Hockey League Player of the Year Jaxon Jacobson who led the charge in the semi-final against the Calgary Buffaloes, a team they had previously lost to in the tournament. Turko scored a hat-trick while Jacobson had three assists, helping advance the Wheat Kings to the final with a 4-1 victory.Brandon, which dropped its tournament opener to the Cantonniers, had to play most of the final without Jacobson. The Manitoba U18 AAA League’s top scorer suffered an upper-body injury in his second shift of the game and didn’t return.After some huge early saves from Wheat Kings’ netminder Burke Hood, the Cantonniers struck first when QMJHL draft eligible prospect Simon-Xavier Cyr fooled Hood with a backhander.Brandon responded rather quickly, as Turko setup Easton Odut for his fifth goal of the tournament just over two minutes later.Wheat Kings forward Colten Worthington then sent the lethal Cantonniers power-play to work as tournament MVP Gabriel Courchesne scored to close out the opening period.The Wheat Kings struggled to find the dominant offensive game they had been known for without Jacobson, being outshot 18-6 and finding themselves trailing 2-1 after the first 20 minutes.&nbsp;The Cantonniers struck again on the power-play five minutes into the second; this time it was Marc-Olivier Proteau striking to put Magog up by two. Antoine Boudreau kept the pressure coming, making it a three-goal game with five minutes left in the second.&nbsp;Late in the frame, Brandon had a chance to gain some life on a Magog too many players minor. The Wheat Kings once again struggled to find offence without Jacobson as they headed into the third period down 4-1,while being outshot 35-15.The Cantonniers never looked back, carrying the 4-1 lead to the very end. The host totaled 46 shots on Hood, who had a strong 42-save performance. At the other end it was Kyan Labbé stopping 19 of the 20 shots he faced, winning the tournament's top goaltending honors with a .944 save percentage and a 1.60 goals-against average.Jacobson led the Wheat Kings in points throughout the tournament with one goal and 11 assists, while Turko was second in tournament goals with eight.Hood split starts with Matthew Mitcha during the preliminary round, but it was Hood who took over the crease late in the tournament finishing with a .920 save percentage and 2.62 goals against average.Brandon finished the year a sensational 59-4-1 but ultimately came up one win short.

Wheat Kings' Dominant Season Comes to an End at TELUS Cup

<h2>Bob Cole has passed Away at 90</h2>The hockey world has lost one of its very best. On Wednesday evening, legendary broadcaster Bob Cole passed away of natural causes with family and friends at his bedside.He was 90.Cole, the voice of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada for parts of five decades, died in his hometown of St. John's, Newfoundland - a place which he passionately spoke of on air and in his autobiography.Some of Cole's most famous calls include the 1972 Summit Series (Paul Henderson's game-winner), the 1976 game between the Philadelphia Flyers and Soviet Union's Red Army (They're going home!), and the 2002 Olympics (Joe Sakic scores) - among others. He commonly used the phrase "oh baby" to describe an eventful moment within games. Cole also called many other Olympics, World Cups and Stanley Cup Finals over his lengthy career.Cole called his final game on April 6, 2019 - a classic between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada. He was recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 as the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner for his work in broadcast media. In 2016, Cole was named to the Order of Canada in Ottawa.

Legendary Broadcaster Bob Cole Passes Away at 90

<h2>Avalanche take game 2 of best-of-seven series</h2>We've got ourselves a series now, folks.On Tuesday night, in front of another sold-out crowd of white-clad Winnipeg fanatics, the Colorado Avalanche did everything right on the way to a 5-2 victory.&nbsp;With the win, the Avalanche tied the opening round series of the Stanley Cup tournament at one win apiece and looked much the better team heading to Denver for Game 3 on Friday night.Fact is, it was like Sunday night’s game never happened. It certainly looked like a playoff hockey game – a lot more than that 7-6 shootout on Sunday night,For the visitors, at least, it was a pretty solid effort.&nbsp;For the first two periods, the Avalanche controlled the tempo, out-fought the Jets for loose pucks, got a much better goaltending performance from Alexandar Georgiev and took advantage of their chances to build a 4-2 lead after 40 minutes. The Avs easily shut down the Jets in the third and will go back to Denver in the driver’s seatFor the Jets, it was the first time in five meetings this season that they’d lost to the Avalanche and it put a halt to what was a regular season/playoff nine-game winning streak.It was also a complete turnaround from the firewagon-type goal-barrage that fans gobbled up in Game 1.In fact, it started out as if the two teams on the ice were totally different than the two teams that played Sunday night&nbsp;Everyone was a tad cautious, especially the Avs, who were outshot 9-2 early and gave up a goal to David Gustafsson – the first playoff goal of his career. Gustafsson jumped on a loose puck in front and filled an empty net behind Alexandar Georgiev to give the Jets a 1-0 lead.However, from the point on, Colorado dominated. They owned the Jets and pummelled Hellebuyck with shot-after-shot from all over the building. By the end of the period, they had outshot Winnipeg 15-12, although, as someone wiser than me suggested, “That’s why the Jets pay Hellebuyck.”Indeed, the best goalie in the NHL gets paid to stop the puck and that’s exactly what he did. Many of the saves were of the highlight-reel variety and because of their goalie, Winnipeg went to the break with a 1-0 lead.In the second, it was all Colorado again. In fact, the Avalanche might have put their stamp on the series with that second-period performance.The Avs’ momentum change started at 1:59 of the period when Ross Colton won a draw cleanly, pulled it back to Miles Wood and Wood ripped a low shot past a startled Hellebuyck to tie the game at 1-1.Then Kyle Connor took a double-minor for high-sticking Cale Makar and things looked bleak. Colorado had taken control of the play, they were all over the Jets net and Winnipeg appeared to be chasing.But out of the ashes of the four-minute penalty emerged a bit of a short-lived Phoenix. Actually, it was the wingspan of Mark Scheifele.The Jets killed the double-minor and shortly after returning to the ice, Connor started a rush at his own blueline. He hit Gabriel Vilardi with a perfect stretch pass, Vilardi took it over the blueline with Mark Scheifele streaking down the left side. Vilardi fed a hard pass across the front of the Colorado crease and with an Avs D-man both holding and interfering Scheifele, the Jets big centerman tipped the puck one-handed under the bar and suddenly Winnipeg had a 2-1 lead at 8:37.A few seconds later, Hellebuyck made a sensational save, the Jets brought the puck the other way and Kyle Connor banged a wrister off the post. It could have been 3-1 Winnipeg, but instead, the Jets were never the same again.&nbsp;Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen scored when he tipped Cale Makar's wrister past Hellebuyck at 14:16 and then Hellebuyck decided to handle the puck. As always, that’s a big mistake and this time, it was a mistake so bad, it changed the entire complexion of the game.Hellebuyck, playing dipsy-doodle beside his goal, had his stick lifted by Yakov Trenin, Andrew Cogliano grabbed the loose puck, got it to Zach Parise in front and with Hellebuyck sprawled on the ice, Parise stuck the biscuit into the back of the net to give the Avalanche a 3-2 lead at 17:20.But they weren’t done.With only a few seconds left in the period. Josh Manson stepped out of the penalty box behind the Jets defence, took a perfect pass from Nathan MacKinnon – the best player on the ice – and at 19:53 beat Hellebuyck on the ensuing breakaway to put the game away.Colorado outshot Winnipeg 14-10 and had outshot the Jets 29-22 through the first two periods. The Avs were in total control.In the third period, we got our first taste of real playoff hockey. It was check, check, check for the Avs as the Jets outshot Colorado 8-3, but couldn’t get a real good chance to beat Georgiev. The Avalanche meanwhile, got an empty net goal from Valeri Nichushkin in the dying seconds, to put it away.This series, of course, is far from over, but if Winnipeg is to keep it even on the road, they have to be a whole lot better than they were in the first two games of the series at home.Oh, and Connor Hellebuyck, as great a goalie as he is, has to keep his puck handling adventures to a minimum.

Oh, What Could Have Been - Jets Fall 5-2 to Avalanche

<h2>Jets Fall 5-2 to Avalanche as second period proves devastating</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets came out hot, but the offence dried up and the mistakes were aplenty, as the Colorado Avalanche stormed back for a 5-2 victory at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday night.Winnipeg came out firing and scored first, only to see that slight lead fall apart in the second period. The visitors scored four times in the frame to Winnipeg's one goal, doubling up the Jets through 40 minutes of play. The third period wasn't much for fans, who found themselves flocking for the exits early, despite a late-game power play and an empty net attack. Mark Scheifele scored what was likely the highlight of the game from both teams, as he redirected home a beautiful one-handed chip shot from a Gabe Vilardi pass. But all of Winnipeg's momentum was lost in a six minute stretch later in the frame where Colorado scored three times. Two goals were results of mistakes - one from Connor Hellebuyck and one from the confusion of running into an official as Josh Manson was sprung out of the penalty box on a breakaway late in the period. Unable to fully recover from the three quick markers, Winnipeg withered away and will need to rebound as the two clubs return to action on Friday in Colorado for Game 3. The loss guarantees the Jets another home game in this opening round, which will be played next week Tuesday from Canada Life Centre. HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782948479511285993">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782948479511285993</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782948916482163100">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782948916482163100</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782950272458699251">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782950272458699251</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782950722788557089">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782950722788557089</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782951406527267228">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782951406527267228</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782953646453301459">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782953646453301459</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782967957569564976">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782967957569564976</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Tuesday's game vs. Colorado is courtesy of Scott Stroh and James Carey Lauder:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01923.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i9473go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02395.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02297.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02396.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02415.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02503.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i9667go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i9873go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i0335go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i0447go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i0741go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i1394go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02544.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02610.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02719.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02685.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i0320go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i1451go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i2122go.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02858.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/_13i2228go.jpg">QUOTABLE:Mark Scheifele following the loss:"We have two days before our next one. We know it’s going to be a good crowd in Colorado. We just have to continue to work on our game and continue to find what makes us us. They are a fantastic team over there, so you’ve got to give them a lot of credit. They did a lot of good things. They blocked a lot of shots, they made it tough to get anything going. That’s the fun part of the playoffs. We weren’t expecting this to be an easy series. They’re a great team over there. We’ve just got to continue to roll with the punches.”WHAT’S NEXT:Game 3 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs goes on Friday from Colorado as the Jets and Avalanche get an extra day off between games with the Denver Nuggets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers from Ball Arena on Thursday. Friday's game will get underway at 9:00 PM central time and can be viewed live on Sportsnet.

Game On Game 2 Recap: Winnipeg Jets 2 Colorado Avalanche 5

The opener was fun. It wasn’t what one might call traditional hard-nosed playoff hockey (although it was indeed hard-nosed), but it was a load of fun&nbsp;And it was also the type of game that should get Winnipeggers excited about NHL hockey again.&nbsp;On a beautiful Sunday night at a filled-to-the-rafters, recently white-washed Canada Life Centre, the Winnipeg Jets built a three-goal third-period lead and then hung on by the hairs on their chinny-chin-chins to hold off the offensively gifted Colorado Avalanche 7-6.That’s right 7-6. It’s playoff time in Winnipeg.Sports enthusiasts, there was no defensive boredom in this one. No dump-and-chase and grind. This was a nose-to-the-net shootout that showcased players with tremendous skills and made the sell-out crowd of delirious white-clad Jets fans go absolutely wacko.The crowd was loud and proud and the party outside on Donald Street was rockin’ and rollin’ all night as the Jets won a thriller to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven opening round of the 2024 Stanley Cup tournament.At the end of the nail-biter on Portage, when Sara Orlesky asked Jets assistant captain Mark Scheifele what he thought of the crowd, he simply could not believe the atmosphere in the building.“It’s bone-chilling,” Scheifele said. “These fans are awesome. The best fans in the league.”And for much of the third period, they were probably the most nervous fans in the league. After all, when two teams with the speed and skill of the Jets and Avalanche get rolling, crazy things happen.But let’s go back to the beginning. Back to when the craziness got started.And make no mistake, the first period was a little silly. And it was silly because both goaltenders and most of the two defensive units were either nervous or semi-conscious. There were six goals, plenty more chances (especially by Colorado) and more cheap giveaways than a county fair. It did not look like a playoff hockey game by any stretch of the imagination.Colorado’s Valeri Nichushkin opened the scoring at 6:10 and at the time, the Avs had outshot Winnipeg 8-1.The Jets Josh Morrissey tied it on a wrister from the point at 8:02 and then Vladislav Namestnikov one-timed a loose puck in front at 11:57. Namestnikov drilled the shot under the bar as if he was really pissed off at it. It had an exclamation point on it when it went over Alexandar Georgiev’s shoulder. The Jets led 2-1 and surely things would settle down.They didn’t.Dylan Samberg gave the puck away in his own end and Miles Wood converted at 14:47 and then Nathan McKinnon drilled a shot past Connor Hellebuyck just 18 seconds later to make it 3-2 Avs.But 46 seconds after that Gabriel Vilardi found Mark Scheifele alone in front and Scheifele converted to make it 3-3. It’s was Scheifele’s 20th career post-season goal in 38 games and only three players have reached that mark in fewer games – Alex Ovechkin (26), Jake Guentzel (32) and Connor McDavid (36). Perhaps more importantly, both teams had just combined to score six goals in a span of less than 10 minutes.To paraphrase our old pal Paul Maurice, “It just didn’t look like a playoff game.”&nbsp;At the end of the first 20-minute frame, Colorado had outshot Winnipeg 14-8 and there was nothing about the period that would make either coach happy. Especially not Rick Bowness. The Jets had beaten Colorado in all three meetings this season and were 7-0 winners last week in Denver, but neither one of these teams even remotely appeared to be the same as the two teams that finished the season on April 13, at Ball Arena.&nbsp;In the second, the Jets scored the only goal as Adam Lowry went down the left wing in a two-on-one with Mason Appleton and chose to shoot. Good decision. The shot went through Georgiev’s five-hole and the Jets had a 4-3 lead. The Jets also had four goals on 10 shots.As Brian Burke once said, “We have to call it the Stanley Cup playoffs because we can’t call it ‘goalie.’&nbsp;After two periods, Colorado had outshot Winnipeg 25-17, 11-9 in the second period. It might seem as if the Avalanche had control of the proceedings, but that was misleading. The Jets were all over the Avs, but they had a penchant for fanning on passes or shooting wide. On this night, the shots were not indicative of the play.&nbsp;In the third period, the teams abandoned all intention of playing traditional “playoff hockey.” It became 1970s Montreal Canadiens “firewagon hockey” and the full house at Canada Life Centre loved every minute of the craziness.The Avalanche came out like a house on fire and peppered Hellebuyck with three quick shots, but then, three minutes into the period, big Lowry faceplanted a Colorado forward, picked up a loose puck, beat a defenceman and then fired a shot from close-in that hit both posts and crossed the line by a fraction of an inch. It was a statement goal by the Jets captain and it gave Winnipeg a 5-3 lead.The Jets appeared to be in complete control when less than two and a half minutes later, Kyle Connor scored his second of the night, whipping a shot from his office just to the left of Georgiev, to give Winnipeg a 6-3 lead. That should have been enough, but it wasn’t.Artturi Lehkonen scored for Colorado on the power play just two minutes later and then Connor scored his second of the night from in close to restore Winnipeg’s three-goal lead at 7-4.But there was more. Cale Makar scored unassisted on the Colorado power play to make it 7-5 at 12:24 and then, with time running out, Colorado coach Jared Bednar pulled his goalie (a guy who gave up seven goals on 23 shots) and got a goal from Casey Mittelstadt with 30 seconds left to make it 7-6.The final 30 seconds were a bit of a blur, but suffice it to say that Hellebuyck, who allowed six goals on the night, had to make two brilliant saves late in the game to guarantee his team a victory.&nbsp;Hellebuyck was like Hall of Famer Grant Fuhr back in the 80s. Fuhr might give up five or six on any given night, but when the game was on the line, he made the saves he had to make to seal those classic Oilers’ victories. Hellebuyck ultimately sealed the deal on Sunday night.In the end, Lowry and Connor had two goals each, Hellebuyck made 39 saves (Colorado outshot Winnipeg 44-23) and Scheifele (second) and Lowry (first) were the first two stars.But the real stars, the ones who mattered, were the 15,225 members of that white-clad army who willed the Jets to victory.And made Game 1 a whole lot of fun in the process.

Jets' Stars, Fans Lead Winnipeg to Game 1 Victory Over Colorado

<h2>Jets take down avalanche 7-6 in wild game 1</h2>RECAP:The Winnipeg Jets are off to a rip-roaring start to the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Beginning things with a hectic 7-6 victory over the visiting Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg bent, but it didn't break.Sure, the Jets were outshot 11-1 to start the game, but despite the onslaught from Nathan MacKinnon's Avalanche, Winnipeg put up three goals of its own in the opening frame, concluding the period at a 3-3 draw.Incredibly, the third was another six-goal period, with both teams also scoring three times. The difference was the second period to which captain Adam Lowry got the game's most meaningful goal.It was a completely back-and-forth affair, with neither team getting too comfortable with its short-lived lead.Kyle Connor scored twice, Adam Lowry scored twice, while Nino Niederreiter, Josh Morrissey, Brenden Dillon, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi each had multi-point outings. Connor Hellebuyck didn't play well, but he managed better than Colorado's backstop Alexander Georgiev. The two allowed a combined 13 goals, but Hellebuyck faced 46 shots to Georgiev's 23. No, the stat-lines in net were not pretty.But as the players said post-game, that was something that will be cleaned up going forward in Game 2.HIGHLIGHTS:<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782182395757682942">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782182395757682942</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782184426346074144">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782184426346074144</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782185286211870982">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782185286211870982</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782190183850352882">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782190183850352882</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782204046155125180">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782204046155125180</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782211015683227821">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782211015683227821</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782214904365170840">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782214904365170840</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782218792904303024">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782218792904303024</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782224101802696941">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782224101802696941</a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782235223679189132">https://twitter.com/CBrooksie84/status/1782235223679189132</a>PHOTOS:The extended photo library from Sunday's game vs. Colorado is courtesy of Scott Stroh:<img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01598.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01530.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01761.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01763.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01822.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01822.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01819.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01817.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01747.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01568.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01592.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01685.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01844.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01770-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc01740.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02025-2.jpg"><img src="https://game-on-hockey.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/dsc02025.jpg">QUOTABLE:Colorado head coach Jared Bednar on Alexander Georgiev's performance:“It probably needed to be better, right? Like I thought we played well, we created some chances. He made some good saves, but we’re gonna need like a couple more saves than that probably to win, you know. But it is what it is. We’ll regroup. We made some mistakes in front of him that we’ll have to clean up and try to get the job done. It’s a team game.”Jets' head coach Rick Bowness on Adam Lowry's performance:"Again, he’s been a great leader for the team on and off the ice. He was a great choice for captain. He loves these challenges. He’s going up against one of the best players in the world, not necessarily the league but the world in Nate. So, he loves those challenges and he takes his game to another level. The intensity is always there and it was certainly there tonight and it’s nice to see him get rewarded with a couple of goals, because he worked incredibly hard. When you’re playing against the Mackinnon line you’re going to have to work very, very hard and you’re going to have to be very, very smart and Adam did those things for us tonight."WHAT’S NEXT:Game 2 of the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will take place on Tuesday in the late night showing, as Winnipeg takes on Colorado at 8:45 in second test of the first round. That game will also be aired live on Sportsnet.

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