Avalanche beat Jets, division-clinching game awaits in Nashville
Apr. 13—The Avalanche are one win away from the Central Division title.
Their 4-2 victory Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets — in addition to the Stars' 1-0 result over the St. Louis Blues — sets up a must-win Avalanche matchup Friday in Nashville. Beating the Predators equals a division title.
"We've got to play better than we did today, for sure, because today was kind of sleepy all game," forward Mikko Rantanen said. "We barely got it done. It's important because Dallas did their job, right? We've got to win to win the division. And that's what we want to do."
On Thursday, in the regular season home finale at Ball Arena, forward Evan Rodrigues scored the game-winner early in the third period. Rodrigues lifted a rocket shot just as he crossed the blue line entering Winnipeg's zone. His 16th goal of the season.
Rodrigues said, "I wasn't really looking at the net. I just tried to shoot it through (the defenders) legs to catch the goalie off guard. It worked out."
Now, all eyes shift to Nashville.
The Avalanche took an unlikely path to a potential third consecutive division championship.
It didn't seem possible back in mid-January following a road loss to Chicago, dropping the Avs to 20-17-3 and sixth place in the Central. It opened media speculation the defending Stanley Cup champions could miss the playoffs entirely. Colorado blocked out the noise.
The Avs have a 30-7-4 record since that Blackhawks loss while being carried by their 100-point duo of Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. On Thursday night, after Winnipeg briefly took the lead with a shorthanded goal, Rantanen stepped up with a devastating one-timer.
It marked his 55th goal to break the Avalanche single season record set by Joe Sakic (2000-01). Yet another historic achievement for the still 26-year-old Rantanen.
"It's just a number. But obviously, he was a great player," Rantanen said. "Even to be mentioned in the same sentence with him, it's an honor. So, yeah, I guess it's a good thing. Right?"
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Avalanche 4, Jets 2
What happened: Colorado clawed back to beat an undermanned Jets team and retained control of their destiny in the Central Division.
What went right: Denis Malgin rebounded a Lars Eller shot to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead in the first period. Mikko Rantanen drew a tripping penalty and then scored on the power play chance for goal No. 55, a new single season Avalanche record. Evan Rodrigues scored the game-winning goal on a shot from near the blue line. Artturi Lehkonen added an empty netter.
What went wrong: Winnipeg tied the game, 1-1, in the second period with a goal from Axel Jonsson-Fjallby. The Jets later added a shorthanded goal from Kevin Stenlund to briefly secure the lead.
Injury update: Gabe Landeskog (knee) will not return in the postseason. Artturi Lehkonen (broken finger) is back in the lineup. Andrew Cogliano crashed into the boards in the first period against Winnipeg and did not return with an upper-body injury. Denis Malgin also left the game with an undisclosed injury. There is currently no timetable for either player's return to the lineup.
Between the pipes: Alexandar Georgiev made 18-of-20 saves. Winnipeg's David Rittich stopped 21 of Colorado's 24 shots on goal.
What's next: The Avalanche (50-24-7) face the Nashville Predators, 6 p.m. Friday (Altitude) at Bridgestone Arena to close out the regular season.
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