This will be a battle of the top two power plays in the NHL, Winnipeg (44.4%) sits first and Colorado right behind them at 37%. Safe to say that discipline will be one of the keys for the Jets tonight.
“We’ll wait and see, I know (Cale) Makar is on the trip. But obviously him and MacKinnon, they’re the leading scorers in the league. You know what they can do. They’re dangerous all the time,” said Scott Arniel.
“Like the two guys in Edmonton you have to know where they are. If we can continue to stay out of the box that will help us along the way to play more five on five.”
Winnipeg remains on top of the NHL standings with 24 points (12-1-0) and they continue to lead the league with a +31-goal differential. They became the sixth team in NHL history to earn 12 wins through their first 13 games in a season. Could the opening round loss to Colorado been the genesis of Winnipeg’s impressive start to the season?
“We challenged this group, that we needed everybody to be 10 per cent better. That’s what we’ve gotten from everybody. Everybody has contributed. We’ve won in different ways throughout the season so far,” said Arniel.
“It’s come from all four lines and our defence and our goaltending. Right now, we’re playing our game, which is our structure game and the results are coming from us playing that hard game that we need to play each and every night.”
While the Avalanche are off to a 6-7 start, no blame can be put on the shoulders of Nathan MacKinnon. The Avs star centre leads the NHL in scoring with 25 points (6G, 19A) and is coming off a career best five assist effort against Seattle on Tuesday.
“Whatever line is out against him, the importance is staying out over top of his speed and jumping at the chance to create turnovers and get the puck back and wear him down. It’s important that his shifts are long and heavy, and he’s got to battle at both ends of the rink,” said Adam Lowry.
“You look back at last game, five assists. He’s an incredible player, one of the best in the world. It’s a tall task, but it doesn’t just come down to one individual. That’s where we’ve had some really good success on the road. We’ve been able to get into the flow and have had contributions from all four lines. We have a lot of trust in each line, that if they’re out there against the superstars of the league, that they’ll be able to get the job done.”
The Jets are 16-8-5 in their last 29 regular season games against Colorado, including 6-2-0 in the past eight meetings.
