Through the first two periods, it looked as though it was going to be a low-scoring affair, a change of pace from the first two games of the series, which saw the Avalanche and Jets combine for 20 goals.
Colorado had outshot Winnipeg 28-19 through 40 minutes, but the Jets had a 2-1 lead thanks to a goal from Tyler Toffoli at 5:03 of the second period and a power-play goal from Josh Morrissey at 10:50.
Then the penalties began.
Mason Appleton was called for tripping at 1:14 of the third, resulting in a goal from Nathan MacKinnon 57 seconds later to tie it 2-2.
“I'm just looking to see where that F1 is and if I can get it through him, and then pray from there,” MacKinnon said. “It's tough to see all four guys, but I figured I was in the middle of the ice, so there's probably no one else in the middle, and lucky. Great screen.”
Twenty-three seconds later, Gabriel Vilardi was assessed a double minor for high-sticking Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews. Valeri Nichushkin then scored five seconds into the second minor penalty to put the Avalanche in front 3-2.
In total, the Avalanche had five power plays in the third period, which made it difficult for the Jets to try and start a comeback of their own.
“The third I felt they didn’t get into our zone too much. I just have to be sharp and wait for the next shot, and I feel the guys just did such a great job,” said Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev, who faced only five shots in the third.
“The best defense is offense, and we just kept playing in their zone. Helped that we got so many power-play opportunities. Just always keep pushing. That was awesome.”
The Avalanche took over following those two power-play goals. Their speed was evident throughout the game, but with the Jets on their heels, the Avalanche kept taking advantage.
“I think that's really the story of the third. First 10 minutes for sure,” Morrissey said. “We gave them a lot of time on the power play and, you know, like I said, they've got a bunch of elite players on that unit, and they capitalized. So, we got to do a better job of trying to stay out of the box.”
The Avalanche struggled to score goals against the Jets during the regular season, scoring just four in three games (all losses), but they’ve seemed to figure things out through the first three games of this series (17 goals), a reminder that any resemblance between the regular season and playoffs is purely coincidental.
The Avalanche still want to clean up some aspects of their game up, but Friday was a reminder that when they get going, they are tough to slow down.
“Yeah, I think for us, being down one in the third there, we didn't sit back on our heels, and I think we kind of just took it to them. When we play with that speed, we play with that energy, we're a good team,” Avalanche forward Ross Colton said.
“Obviously, we got some power plays there, but we drew them with hard work and getting in on the forecheck and kind of putting them under pressure. So, it all starts with that. So, I think credit to the guys in the room for just sticking with the process and kind of putting ourselves in a good situation.”
