Well, here we are. The last game of the regular season. This year has been full of ups and downs – quite the roller coaster for Winnipeg Jets fans, but now the team has clinched their playoff spot and can enjoy this final game against the Colorado Avalanche.
As we look forward to the playoffs, here’s everything you need to know ahead of game 82 for the Jets.
Winnipeg Jets Projected Lineup
Forwards
Kyle Connor – Pierre-Luc Dubois – Mark Scheifele
Nikolaj Ehlers – Vladislav Namestnikov – Blake Wheeler
Nino Niederreiter – Adam Lowry – Mason Appleton
Morgan Barron – Kevin Stenlund – Saku Maenalanen
Defenseman
Josh Morrissey – Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon – Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg – Nate Schmidt
Starting Goalie
David Rittich
Colorado Avalanche Projected Lineup
Forwards
Evan Rodrigues – Nathan MacKinnon – Mikko Rantanen
Denis Malgin – J.T. Compher – Valeri Nichushkin
Alex Newhook – Lars Eller – Ben Meyers
Matthew Nieto – Andrew Cogliano – Logan O’Connor
Defenseman
Samuel Girard – Devon Toews
Jack Johnson – Bowen Byram
Kurtis MacDermid – Erik Johnson
Starting Goalie
Alexandar Georgiev
Standout Storylines
Jets Clinch Playoff Spot After 3-1 Win Over Minnesota Wild
Talk about leaving it to the last minute. The Jets kept fans on the edge of their seats, clinching the point they needed to secure a playoff spot in the second to last game of the season.
They have now won three in a row and proved they can kick things into high gear when it matters. Mason Appleton, Adam Lowry, and Mark Scheifele were the goal scorers in their 3-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, helping guide the Jets to a 7-3-0 record in the last 10 games.
Jets coach Rick Bowness praised his team’s hard-fought effort, saying, “we just fought through it. Every team that gets into the playoffs at this time of year … you’ve got to fight through some adversity. You’ve got to fight through some second-guessing, and that’s fine. That’s all part of our business, but again, give our players full marks because they stayed focused on the process of what we had to do, game in and game out, to get us into the playoffs. So good for them.”
Tensions were high in this game. The Wild’s Ryan Hartman earned a suspension for a hit on Nikolaj Ehlers, and Neal Pionk was fined $5000 for cross-checking Marcus Johansson within the last 60 seconds of the matchup. Player safety described Hartman’s hit as “a forceful body check on a player who is not eligible to be hit and is not prepared to protect himself.”
Related: Breaking Down Jets’ Potential 1st-Round Opponents
Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was once again strong in goal, making 33 stops in his 13th consecutive start. Hellebuyck discussed his team earning this massive win saying, “we battled our adversity. It might have taken us a little bit longer, but I think we figured ourselves out. We have the character in the room, and now we know what our game is. To come out and show it through this stretch is huge.”
Now, the Jets can head into tonight’s Avalanche matchup with some confidence, knowing they have secured their place in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche Lose 2-1 in Overtime to Edmonton Oilers
The Avalanche earned a point in their matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday but couldn’t come up with the win. The team’s five-game win streak ended when the Oilers’ Evan Bouchard found the back of the net in overtime.
Despite the loss, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar complimented his team’s effort saying, “We were playing hard. It was a pretty tight-checking game for the most part. I think the high-danger chances were low. I didn’t think we created enough to take control of the game, but I thought we did a good job on the checking side. It was a pretty good hockey game…Good point. Good effort from our team.”
Ben Meyers scored the lone goal for the Avalanche, his third in four games, bringing his season total to four. With the win, combined with the Wild’s 3-1 loss to the Jets, the Avalanche clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs.
This was the Oilers’ eighth win in a row, and the team is now in second place in the Pacific Division with 107 points.
The Avalanche were without a handful of players in this one, missing Josh Manson (lower-body injury), Artturi Lehkonen (upper-body injury), Darren Helm (lower-body injury), Kurtis MacDermid, Cale Makar (lower-body injury), and Pavel Francouz (lower body). While tonight’s may not be a do-or-die matchup for the Avalanche, it will be a telling one for the Jets to see if they can handle the 2022 Stanley Cup Champions.
Players to Watch
Nathan Mackinnon
One of the best players on the Avalanche is Nathan Mackinnon. The 27-year-old has 107 points in 69 games (39 goals, 68 assists)and has set new career highs in points and assists. The centreman also leads his team in points, assists, shots (357), and is tied for first in power-play goals (12) with Mikko Rantanen. With 10 points in his last five games, Mackinnon is having a phenomenal season and is definitely a player to follow in this game.
Adam Lowry
On the Jets, a player to be on the lookout for is Lowry. The centreman is having a career season, setting new highs in points (36) and assists (23), and has had some good looks in front of the net recently.
Lowry has three points in his last five games, including a two-point night against the San Jose Sharks on Apr. 10, where he earned a goal and an assist, and a goal in Tuesday’s game against the Wild (Apr. 11). The Missouri native has the potential to be a difference-maker in the final game of the regular season.
As one chapter closes, the next one opens, and for the Jets, that next phase is a chance at clinching the ultimate prize: the Stanley Cup. Tune in tonight at 8 p.m. EST to see how the Jets wrap up the 2022-23 regular season.
