winnipeg – The Winnipeg Jets headed to the airport to leave for Denver today after blowing a two-game series lead Tuesday night.
The Jets lost 5-2 in Game 2 against the Colorado Avalanche at the Canada Life Center, but felt they played a better game than they had in the series opener.
“Yeah, we were a lot better last night and spent a little more time in their zone. And we got a minute off in our zone,” Rick Bowness said.
“So there's some improvement there. But it's something we have to continue to work on and continue to improve on.”
Discussion continues about the line matchup between Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen in the series, as Jared Bednar looks to separate the Avs' top line from Adam Lowry's line. But the 5-on-5 Jets get the job done. According to Natural Stat Trick, MacKinnon, Rantanen, Zach Parise and Valeri Nichuskin all won 2-1, giving Winnipeg a 12-10 scoring chance advantage.
“They're going to get chances. Again, it's the on-ice awareness. They're elite. Makar, MacKinnon, Rantanen, listen, they're going to create chances. It's the players on the ice. It goes back to what we recognize,” Bowness said.
“Again, when we ice the puck, we don't have a say in it. They don't either. It's up to the player to play the game.
That confidence will be key when the Jets head to Ball Arena for Games 3 and 4, where Jared Bednar will be the final replacement. The Avalanche also had the most wins on home ice this season (31).
“Even when we're on home ice, everyone's going to play against top players, whether it's landing or just the flow of the game, whatever it is. It's about managing the puck and playing defensively. It's about relying on our structure and doing the right thing,” Morrissey said.
“But like I said, we can also be aggressive and make them worry about us. That's going to be our mindset going into Game 3, and we'll be as well.” We'll be able to be aggressive and push that pace.”
The regular season shouldn't matter as much now that the playoffs have begun, but Winnipeg won both games in Denver this season.
“I haven't watched all 41 of their home games, so I can't speak to how they performed in those games. But in the games we played, I didn't think too much about the game. I changed my focus midway through to not worrying and understanding who I was with on the ice,” Morrissey said.
“But as a player, you just go out there and try to do your job to the best of your ability. I know they feel good playing at home, and I think they've had some success playing at home this year. We have collected
