Achi news desk-
WINNIPEG –
Sean Monahan was walking his dog when a car passed him, braked, backed up and stopped.
Mother and son jumped out and approached the Winnipeg Jets forward, who was acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on February 2nd.
“She said, ‘We just wanted to say hello and wish you good luck and we’re looking forward to watching the playoffs,'” Monahan recalled with a smile.
He and his Golden, Winston, often meet friendly and enthusiastic fans. That’s one reason Monahan is looking forward to Winnipeg’s first-round NHL playoff series against the Colorado Avalanche, which begins Sunday at the Canada Life Centre.
The Jets (52-24-6) finished second in the Central Division and West, tying the franchise record for most wins in a season with the 2017-18 team. Their 110 points were the most of any Canadian club.
The finish gave Winnipeg home advantage for the best-of-seven series with the Avalanche in third place in the division (50-25-7).
This is the first time the teams will compete in the postseason. Both are trying to bounce back from last year’s early playoff exits.
The Jets took just second in the conference in 81 games last season and finished with a 46-33-3 record. They were bounced out of the playoffs in five games by the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights.
After winning the 2022 Stanley Cup, the Avalanche took first place in the league last season, but were upset by the Seattle Kraken in Game 7 of the opening round.
The Jets rolled into the postseason with a bang, finishing the regular season on an eight-game hitting streak. That included a 7-0 drubbing of the Avalanche on April 13 that gave Winnipeg a sweep of their three-game season series.
Colorado was 4-4-2 in their last 10 contests.
Jets head coach Rick Bowness feels a different vibe around his team these days.
“I think we’re a lot more prepared for these playoffs than we were last year,” Bowens said. “We are a better team this year than we were at this time last year. There is no doubt. We are a more committed team.”
The Jets have had a few slumps, but a six-game losing skid has snapped a current streak that tied a franchise record they set earlier in the campaign.
Players referred to a video session at the back end of that slide as the game that ignited their turnaround.
“Instead of guys being mad at themselves or mad at each other, it was more of a monkey off our backs. ‘Oh, this is what we’re doing wrong, and this is what we need to do differently,'” the goalkeeper begins. Connor Helleweke said.
“At least for me, that’s how it felt. And from that moment on, everything was smooth sailing from there.”
Hellebuyck gets his name on the William M. Trophy. Jennings of the league as remembered the net of the team that scored the fewest goals (199) this season. The name of his backup, Laurent Brossoit, will not appear on it because he appeared in 23 games instead of the minimum 25 games in the award.
Hellebuyck played 60 games with a 37-19-4 record and five shutouts. The veteran is the favorite to win the Vezina Cup, the league’s top goalkeeper award he won in 2020. He was a finalist last year and in 2018.
Brosseau was 15-5-2. His three shutouts included a 3-0 shutout against the division-leading Dallas Stars in a game before Hellebuyck’s 7-0 shutout in Colorado.
All of these accomplishments don’t mean the Jets are taking the landslide lightly. Far from it.
“Two tough teams that have been solid and ranked really high all year,” said veteran Winnipeg defenseman Brendan Dillon.
“They have two or three basically mega-superstars on this team that can really change the game on any shift.”
Avalanche center Nathan McKinnon set a season-high in points with 140. Winger Mikko Rantanen had 104 points, while defensive dynamo Kala Makar had 90 points.
Colorado’s netminds feature Alexander Georgiev and his league-best 38 wins (38-18-5) and backup Justus Anonen (8-4-1).
The Jets are counting with a roster they believe has depth and four-line scoring.
Center Mark Scheifele had a team-high 72 points and defenseman Josh Morrissey was next with 69. Winger Kyle Connor had 34 goals, followed by freshman Tyler Tupoli with 33.
“We’re a confident team,” Morrissey said. “We have something good and we know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but I think our game is in a good place for the playoffs”
He turned down an advantage because of their regular season results against Colorado.
“I really don’t put much stock in the season series until the last game,” Morrissey said. “Once the playoffs start, it’s the first team to four (wins). So, it really doesn’t matter.”
The deepest the Jets have been in the playoffs was the conference finals in 2017-18, when they lost to Vegas in five games. They have won one playoff series since then, an opening round Edmonton Oilers in 2021. They were then swept by the Montreal Canadiens in the next round.
Story of the tape:
- Regular season series: 3-0, Winnipeg
- Goals per game: Winnipeg, 3.16 (15); Colorado, 3.68 (first place).
- Achievement scorers: Winnipeg, Mark Scheifele, 72 points; Colorado, Nathan McKinnon, 140.
- Starting goaltender: Winnipeg, Connor Hellboy, 37-19-4, 2.39 GAA, .921 save percentage; Colorado, Alexander Georgiev, 38-18-5, 3.02 GAA, .897 save percentage.
- Power play percentage: Winnipeg, 18.8 (22); Colorado, 24.5 (5).
- Penalty kill percentage: Winnipeg, 77.1 (21); Colorado, 79.9 (12th place).
- The big stat: The Jets led the league in fewest goals allowed at 199; Nathan McKinnon was second in points in the league with 140.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on April 19, 2024.
