Terrence Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The Winnipeg Jets’ blueprint ahead of their first-round series against the Colorado Avalanche is crystal clear.
Contain Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar.
“With elite talent they have — with Nate, Makar and Rantanen — they’re going to get their chances,” Jets coach Rick Bowness said on Saturday.
While star power always reigns supreme this time of the year, Colorado’s top skaters are leaps and bounds better than Winnipeg’s. With MacKinnon and Makar arguably being the best in the world at their respective positions and Rantanen being a bonafide top-five winger himself — Winnipeg is going toe-to-toe with three game-changers.
Of course, it’s not as daunting of a task when you have Connor Hellebuyck — the best goaltender on the planet — but seven-game series’ are a grind. One that’ll put Winnipeg’s league-best five-on-five defence to the ultimate test.
Connor Hellebuyck shuts the door for his 5th @pepsi shutout of the season! 🙅♂️ pic.twitter.com/00rab920C3
— NHL (@NHL) April 13, 2024
Here are the three keys to Winnipeg shutting down Colorado’s stars.
Maximizing Their Third Line At Home
Jets faithful aside, the biggest perk of home-ice advantage in the playoffs is having last change – as line matching is imperative this time of year.
You can bet your bottom that Bowness will match his third line of Adam Lowry, Nino Niederreiter and Mason Appleton against Colorado’s top line —MacKinnon, Rantanen and Zach Parise — whenever possible.
The team’s ‘identity line’ has been excellent at shutting down opposition top talent all year — boasting a 58.8 expected goals-for percentage that ranks 13th leaguewide among teams that have played 200-plus minutes. As much as Winnipeg’s third line thrives at mitigating opponents’ chances, they’re just as good, if not better, at producing chances themselves, generating the fourth most expected goals-for (34.7) of any line this year.
“A big part of our line is to try and get momentum going on the forecheck and create chances that way,” Niederreiter explained to The Hockey News on Saturday morning.
Lowry is the catalyst to that line’s success. The 31-year-old’s combination of smarts, defensive acumen and work ethic work hand-in-hand to make him one of the league’s best shutdown centers.
ADAM LOWRY MAKES IT 4-0!! ✈️
How are we feeling after that period, #NHLJets fans?? pic.twitter.com/AOwAttJPRl
— Winnipeg Sports Talk (@SportsTalkWPG) April 13, 2024
“The opposition definitely fears him,” Appleton told The Hockey News on Monday.
Reduce Slot Chances Against
All year long, Winnipeg has taken pride in reducing the number of scoring chances they allow against.
“That’s been kinda the strength of our defense, in terms of in-zone play, is not really allowing shots coming in from the inner slot,” Lowry said on Friday. “It has to do with the layers we defend with. It has to do with the decisions we’re making with the puck when we have it.”
Quietly, though, the Jets haven’t been as lethal at protecting the home-plate area recently.
After ranking fourth in 5-on-5 scoring chances allowed per 60 minutes in their first 44 games of the season (24.73), that figure dropped to 15th-best in their final 38 games of the season (26.76).
Colorado ranks third in 5-on-5 scoring chance generation (30.41) this season.
Don’t Give Up Odd-Man Rushes
MacKinnon, Rantanen and Makar are dynamic off the rush, which makes sense as Colorado ranks first in Rush Offence.
“The key for us is to minimize the chances and spend as little time in our zone as possible and try to eliminate as many odd-man rushes against as possible,” Bowness said. “They’ve got their D up, it’s a four-man rush every time they come so our puck possession in the O-zone and our structure in the O-zone becomes crucial as well.”
Aside from Josh Morrissey, Winnipeg’s blueline isn’t lauded for its footspeed. The likes of Dylan DeMelo, Dylan Samberg, Neal Pionk, Brenden Dillon and Logan Stanley are heavily outmatched, speed-wise, against Colorado’s stars.
But implementing a sound defensive structure goes beyond just the blueliners. While Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor have come under fire for uninspiring backchecking in the past, they’ve looked dialled-in at both ends of the ice since the start of April.
Related: NHL Playoffs Poll: Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes Seen as Cup Front-Runners
Related: NHL Sour Rankings: Mock Drafting Dream Picks for Every Non-Playoff Team
Related: NHL Playoff Predictions: Who Advances in the West? How Many Game 7s?
News Summary:
- 3 Keys To Winnipeg Shutting Down Colorado's Stars
- Check all news and articles from the latest NHL updates.