Achi news desk-
If the Winnipeg Jets want to advance to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they have a lot of work to do.
Winnipeg allowed five goals in the third period in a 6-2 loss at Colorado on Friday night to fall behind the Avalanche 2-1 in their best-of-seven series.
For the second game in a row, the Jets let the lead slip away and a good chunk of the third period was spent in the penalty box. The Avs scored five unanswered goals after closing Game 2 with four straight marks.
“I think we can still do a better job controlling the puck in their zone,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “As soon as we take a shot and there’s a free pocket they get it and they’re gone. So, I think we can tighten that up. That is an area we will look at. And obviously the discipline in the third period and the penalty took us out of the game.”
The Jets took 10 minutes in penalty kicks in the first 11 minutes of the third period and the Avalanche made them pay by scoring a pair of power play markers. The Avs scored three goals in just six minutes for the second game in a row.
Colorado led by one goal after the first, and the Jets scored back-to-back goals to take the lead, but the wheels came off completely in the final frame for Winnipeg.
“We can play better than that,” Bowness said. “There are good parts of the game. The discipline and staying out of the box is going to be a huge factor for us.”
The Jets were outscored 12-5 in the third and 40-24 overall, but they made a strong effort in the middle stanza to take the lead.
“We can take some real positives from that game, especially in the first two periods and it’s a seven-game series for a reason,” defenseman Josh Morrissey said. “We unfortunately dropped this one tonight but Game 4 is crucial, and we need to come out here with our best game.”
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Brendan Dillon’s status is also now in question. He appeared to be cut on the hand or arm by a toad during a post-game melee and left blood all over the ice.
“I can’t update you,” Bowness said. “I have no update. It is still under investigation.
“I will give you an update when I know more information.”
The Jets have never won a best-of-seven series when trailing two games to one.
Colorado got the crowd going at the 11:18 mark of the opening period when Zach Parise knocked home a rebound off Josh Manson’s net drive.
The Avalanche played for most of the opening period, although the Jets pushed hard in the final minute for the tie. It remained 1-0 after 20 minutes with Colorado leading 12-9 on the shot clock.
The Jets pulled even just over five minutes into the second. After one of Winnipeg’s stronger shifts in the offensive zone, Tyler Toffoli was turned aside by Alexandar Georgiev and as the rebound moved to the corner, Toffoli fired a second try along the goal line and squeaked through to his make it 1-1.
Winnipeg won the game’s first power play at the 9:15 mark when Casey Mittlestadt snagged Mark Scheifele, and the Jets made them pay. Morrissey knocked a blast off Georgiev’s stick through a screen set by Gabriel Vilardi to give the Jets a 2-1 lead with 9:10 to go in the second.
Colorado would see their own power play a few minutes later but Connor Hellebuyck made several strong saves to keep it 2-1, which would remain the score after 40 minutes with the Avalanche defeating Winnipeg 16-10 in the second.
But the unraveling began early in the third for the Jets. Mason Appleton took a tripping penalty 1:14 into the final frame, leading to Nathan MacKinnon’s tying goal. He let the wrist go from the point and found a way through a maze of bodies and through Hellebuyck’s five hole.
23 seconds later, Vilardi cut Devon Toews with a high stick, putting the Avalanche on a four-minute power play, but unlike game 2, the Jets couldn’t kill this one off.
Moments after the first half of the doubleheader ended, Mikko Rantanen found Valeri Nichushkin with a cross-ice pass. Tired penalty killers couldn’t keep up with him, and Hellebuyck couldn’t fumble to stop him as Nichushkin buried him to give the Avs the lead at 4:39.
Colorado doubled their lead at the 8:11 mark after the Avs forced a turnover at their blue line. Mittlestadt picked up the puck in the neutral zone and sprinted ahead as Dylan DeMelo tripped while trying to back off. Mittlestadt carried the puck into the Jets zone and a tired Mark Scheifele couldn’t keep up as Artturi Lehkonen took a pass from Mittlestadt and slammed it home to make it 4-2.
Two more penalties to David Gustafsson and Neal Pink put the Avalanche at a short 5-on-3 and although the Jets wound up killing both, just one second after Pionk’s minor expired, he redirected Ross Colton passed to the net to make it 5-2 with 7:25 left.
Winnipeg pulled the goalie to try to pull back a shot but Toews scored into the empty net with 3:35 to go to seal the win for the Avalanche, he scored five goals in a period where the Jets only managed five a shot
Frustration boiled over for the Jets in the final minute as Adam Lowry collided with Miles Wood and after the final horn, a scuffle broke out but led to a scary moment when Dillon was badly cut, bolting to the bench like blood. build up on the ice.
Hellebuyck was saddled with the loss despite making 34 stops, while Georgiev got the win after turning away 22 shots.
The two teams will meet again on Sunday afternoon in Denver. Game 4 starts at 1:30 pm with pregame coverage on 680 CJOB starting at 11 am
