In a meaningless game, at least as far as the standings were concerned, the Winnipeg Jets finished the 2022-23 National Hockey League season with a whimper.

Despite the fact, they led 2-1 at one point in the second period, the Jets didn't have enough firepower or even will to beat the Stanley Cup-contending Colorado Avalanche on Thursday night. The Jets were beaten 4-2 in Denver by a better team.

However, to be fair, the Jets played without Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Nikolaj Ehlers, Nate Schmidt and Josh Morrissey and when you play without seven of your best players -- and two of your three top offensive defencemen -- it's no wonder the Jets lost to a team as talented as Colorado. Of their Top 10 players, only Kyle Connor, Nino Neiderreiter and Neal Pionk suited up against the Avalanche.

Mikko Rantanen scored his 55th goal of the season,  as the Avs kept pace in the race for first place in the Central Division. Colorado trails the Dallas Stars by one point in the battle for the Central crown, but can win the division with a win at Nashville tomorrow night.

On the other hand, the Jets fell to 46-33-3 on the season and will now have four or five days to prepare for their first-round playoff opponent, still likely to be the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Jets finished the season on a solid run, going 5-2-0 down the stretch to make the playoffs. Thursday night's game in Denver was a chance to give the top players a rest and give some of the practice players -- and one solid Moose -- a chance to play.

Axel Jonsson-Fjallby and Kevin Stenlund each scored their sixth goals of the season -- Stenlund's was shorthanded -- as the Jets actually led 2-1 at the 14:59 mark of the season period. But Rantanen scored on the power play at 16:11 and then Evan Rodrigues tallied the eventual winner at 3:01 of the third. Arrturi Lehkonen scored at 18:31 into an empty net to put it away.

The Jets were zero-for-three on the power play while Colorado was one-for-three. The Avs also missed on a penalty shot. Colorado outshot Winnipeg 25-20 as Alexander Georgiev made 18 saves to get the win. David Rittich, who let in a weak goal by Rodrigues to take the loss, made 22 saves.
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The Avalanche are now 50-24-7 this season and have gone 6-0-1 in their past seven games.

The Jets will now wait to see which team, on which day and at which time, they'll face in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

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Playoff-Bound Jets Finish Season on Losing End to Avalanche

<h2>"This one stings the most" Jets Defenceman Dylan Demelo left perplexed </h2>No words were minced from the Winnipeg Jets at the annual end-of-season media availability on Thursday afternoon from Canada Life Centre. The 52-24-6 Jets were knocked out of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs in Game 5 on Tuesday by Lord Stanley’s 2022 champion, the Colorado Avalanche.Many of Winnipeg’s culture carriers, such as Adam Lowry, Josh Morrissey, and Brenden Dillon all gave very honest assessments of the team’s play this postseason in their respective media debriefs.No one was as candid as 31-year-old defenceman Dylan DeMelo.“We just didn’t execute well, we didn’t play well,” DeMelo said. “They (Colorado) went to the net harder than us, their special teams were better than us, they were on the puck faster, they were just better in all aspects.”The veteran blueliner from London, ON. said he’s still searching for answers regarding what went wrong in the best-of-seven clash against the lower-ranked seed.“I think if I had an answer for you so fast we probably wouldn’t be here,” DeMelo said. “I am truly kind of puzzled why it didn’t work because I thought we had a really good group.”The Jets, who were outscored by the Avalanche 28-15 in just five playoff games, became the first team in NHL history to allow five-plus goals in each of the first five games of a team’s postseason.Saying this is uncharacteristic of the Jets’ identity would be a massive understatement, as the foundation of Winnipeg’s success this regular season relied on prioritizing defence. With the solid defensive structure employed by head coach Rick Bowness, his squad led the entire NHL with the least number of goals against (199) over the 82-game calendar.“We were nowhere close in all aspects of playing our best hockey, so that’s why this one hurts the most for me,” said DeMelo. “To underachieve is what stings the most. That’s why it’s going to take me a minute to really process why this happened and really why this one stings the most.&nbsp;Although his team ditched its identity in the postseason, DeMelo played his role quite well in the five-game series; however, he is well aware there is plenty of room for improvement.“I’ll look in the mirror at my own game at what I could have done better,” he added.Averaging over 22 minutes of ice time in the series, DeMelo tallied three blocked shots, 20 hits, and accumulated only a minus-one rating after his team closed the postseason with a minus-13 goal differential. And although he only racked up one assist through five games, points are far from what makes DeMelo’s services so valuable.Over the past three seasons, he has been one of the Jets’ most undervalued blueliners, providing a stabilizing force on the top defensive pairing, allowing partner Josh Morrissey to step in offensively and establish himself as one of the league’s elite defencemen.Playing in the final season of a four-year, $12 million contract ($3 million AAV), DeMelo is included in the long list of Jets players with expiring deals this summer: Tyler Toffoli, Sean Monahan, Cole Perfetti, David Gustafsson, Dillon, Colin Miller, Logan Stanley, and Laurent Brossoit.One thing is for certain, GM Kevin Cheveldayoff is not going to be spending much time at the cabin this summer with all the important personnel decisions left to be made.Given DeMelo’s role on this team, one would imagine that he has worked his way to the top of Cheveldayoff’s to-do list this offseason.DeMelo is a minute-munching defensive stalwart who has found a home on the top pair. His stellar defensive awareness gives Morrissey the confidence to jump in on the rush without the team being in danger, knowing DeMelo will hold down the fort with ease.Not to mention, he is also an extremely underrated puck mover who also kills penalties, although that has been a significant struggle for the Jets all season and in the postseason against Colorado.Accompanied by his 164 hits and 139 blocked shots, DeMelo showed he can pitch in on the scoresheet too this season, as he set a career-high with three goals and 28 assists for 31 points.DeMelo’s worth to this club is why his agent, Brian MacDonald, will most definitely be asking Cheveldayoff for a raise this offseason.

“We Have to Question Everything.” – Jets' Dylan DeMelo on Postseason Failure 

<h2>Captain adam lowry reflects on another year lost</h2>Winnipeg Jets captain Adam Lowry spoke to the media alongside goaltender Connor Hellebuyck Thursday morning, as the two teammates tried to summarize the team’s 4-1 first-round series loss to the Colorado Avalanche.“I would say winning in this league is extremely difficult,” Lowry said. “You can have a great regular season, but it’s about finding your game, finding ways to win at the most critical time of year. I think to take that next step it’s — like Helle mentioned with the intensity — it’s learning how critical every shift is, whether it’s the second period or it’s late in a game.”Lowry is one of many Jets players who appeared during the team’s year-end press conference from Winnipeg’s downtown venue. Across the board, Jets players spoke of searching for answers and takeaways from their disappointing first-round exit.Perhaps the first place the team should look is toward its captain.Lowry’s postseason efforts this season stem far beyond his stat-line of two goals and a minus-three rating.The third line centreman was trusted with defending Colorado’s top line of Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen all series.Despite 11 goals from the Avs’ gunslingers in the series, only five of those goals came at even-strength.Lowry finished a team-best 61.1% in the face-off circle this postseason, winning 55 of the 90 draws he took.Despite averaging only 14:21 of ice time in the playoffs, Lowry was second on the team in faceoffs taken, just two behind Mark Scheifele (92), who averaged 21:43 of ice time per-game in the series - over seven minutes more per-game than Lowry.Lowry also led all Jets forwards in face-offs taken (1,380), and face-off win per centage in the regular season. He did this despite playing over four minutes less than Scheifele each night—who was second in draws taken with 1,253.Lowry’s 25 hits this postseason led the Jets, while his 181 hits in the regular season led all forwards – an impressive 65 more than Winnipeg’s next-most-physical forward, Nino Niederreiter.Coach Rick Bowness and the Jets trust their captain, having called on him in various crucial moments throughout the regular season and playoffs.This is because Lowry exemplifies the qualities Winnipeg seemingly fell short of in the postsesaon.“Just the desire to win every battle and the desire that the guy across from you isn’t going to beat you that night. That’s the learning curve. That’s the thing you need to do to take the next step,” said Lowry Thursday on what the Jets need to take away from the loss.When the stakes are high, Lowry has a history of rising to the occasion.In his last three postseasons, Lowry has finished third, fifth, and first in team scoring. He accomplished this with significantly less ice time than the players around him.The 10-year Jet is also fifth all-time in Jets postseason scoring, with 49 playoff appearances under his belt.After sweeping the Avalanche 3-0 in the regular season series, the Jets became complacent at the wrong time—allowing Colorado to do what it does best throughout the first-round matchup.“We didn’t do a good enough job protecting the middle, slowing down their rush, kind of slowing them down and getting them away from what makes them successful,” said Lowry, crediting the Avs’ slot play and ability to rush the puck.“This year we were dynamite at protecting the slot, denying zone entries and things like that,” Lowry added, mentioning the results were not the same come playoff time. “The chances we gave up, we gave up so many grade-As.”MoneyPuck.com says the Avalanche generated 83 medium-to-high-danger shot attempts in the series, with 27 high-danger shots.The Jets mustered only 15 high-danger shots, and 51 medium-to-high-danger shots - significantly less than their divisional opponents.Lowry says the Jets tried to adjust throughout the series, though it wasn’t always reflected on-ice.“I think part of it is on us as players and the accountability of implementing those changes consistently,” said Lowry. “We had one PK kind of in Game 5, we changed the forecheck, like, it wasn’t for lack of awareness where things were going wrong. I think part of it was now going out there and performing on the ice.”For now, Lowry and the Jets have been forced into a long offseason, where they will have lots of time to digest what they could have done differently.“We had a great regular season. We showed over 82 games we can be a really good team, but at the end of the day, we didn’t perform in the playoffs, that doesn’t really mean a whole lot.”

"Definitely Disappointed” - Jets Captain Adam Lowry Speaks on Early Playoff Exit

<h2>The nhl's top defensive club in the regular season gave up the most goals in the playoffs</h2>On April 29, Connor Hellebuyck was named a Vezina Trophy finalist for the fourth time in his career. Just a day later, his Winnipeg Jets were eliminated by the dominant Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.Hellebuyck rocked a .921 save percentage and 2.39 goals against average through 60 games in the regular season – his best numbers since his 2019-20 Vezina-winning season.But the heavy favourite for the NHL’s 2024 top goaltending honours did not have the postseason he or the Jets were hoping for. He posted a .870 save percentage and 5.23 goals against average.&nbsp;Despite being knocked out much earlier than the Jets had hoped, Connor Hellebuyck doesn't believe the stat sheet tells the whole story.“You’re probably not going to believe me when I say, I was playing the best hockey of my career,” Hellebuyck said in his exit meeting on Thursday. “That’s truly how I was feeling. Not only was I playing some of my best hockey, but I was in that zone where you’re not thinking, you’re just playing.”This is the same Hellebuyck who got lit up for 24 goals this postseason. He and his team believe it was more than just the high-powered Colorado offence that lost them the series.“I didn’t think we made the right changes and implemented them the right way,” he added. “And that’s not a throw at the coaching staff. That’s on all of us… But I don’t want to say we didn’t give everything we had and we didn’t change some things. We definitely did. And it’s on all of us to make that stuff work.”Hellebuyck didn't have much time to rest during the five-game-series, facing the most shots and making the most saves of any netminder in the round.“I feel like in a lot of those games I was stealing some goals,” Hellebuyck reflected. “That being said, I’m not going to go and tell you I don’t want to be better. I absolutely need to be better if we’re going to win — I can't be giving up that many goals. But when I’m looking, when I’m watching video and looking back on my game, I'm not seeing a goal like, ‘oh, I’ve got to have that.”At times Hellebuyck kept the Jets somewhat close in the series, but the 30-year-old netminder also allowed the most goals by any goalie. The next closest backstop was Los Angeles’ Cam Talbot who let in 16 (eight less than Hellebuyck) and was later benched for former Jet David Rittich.&nbsp;“Looking back, I don’t know if I even saw half of the pucks that went into the net. They did a great job, but for me to not be able to put my foot down even in a single game is really heartbreaking. It’s not typically how I do things,” said Hellebuyck.Hellebuyck’s -6.47 goals saved above expected is also the worst of any goalie in the playoffs so far.&nbsp;&nbsp;The star netminder’s playoff struggles didn’t come out of nowhere either. Despite being a top goaltender since joining the league in 2015, Hellebuyck has struggled to find the dominant levels to his game in recent playoff runs.&nbsp;Since 2020, Hellebuyck has a 6-12 record, winning only one playoff series against the Edmonton Oilers. In those 18 games he has had a below average .900 save percentage and a subpar 3.30 goals against average.&nbsp;Although there is a lot to learn in a quick five-game series like this one, Hellebuyck hopes this is the last time the Jets have to.“I’d like to think this is hopefully the last learning curve that we’re going to go through, but… I mean, we were so good. You can't imagine you’d be good for 82 games and then you just don’t… you’re just not there, you’re not the same team.”&nbsp;“I hope we’re going to learn that this is the small difference between playoffs and the regular season,” he added.Hellebuyck felt humbled after getting pulled for the third period in Game 4, something that has never happened in his playoff career.“That was my mindset, I needed to do this alone,” he said. “That was the realization that I need to be part of this team more than I am, and to take everything onto my shoulders, I’m talking me personally, that’s not me talking against the team, it's just the way my mentality is.”“I think what I need to do is just dive into a team game even more, and that will hopefully bring me peace of mind.”Last offseason Hellebuyck signed a seven-year, $59.5 million contract extension with the Jets, which has a no-move clause through the first three years of the deal and a modified no-trade clause through its final four.Hellebuyck didn’t rule out the possibility of joining team USA at the IIHF World Championship starting next Friday in Czechia, but it seems highly unlikely.

Playoff Pressure: Hellebuyck's Struggles Highlight Jets' Postseason Woes

<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.

Playoff-Bound Jets Finish Season on Losing End to Avalanche

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