NHL: Colorado Avalanche vs Winnipeg Jets Stanley Cup Playoffs betting preview

It’s that time of the year for postseason hockey. The Stanley Cup Playoffs officially began on Saturday but we’ll have to wait until Sunday for one of the most intriguing series of the lot to start as the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets go to battle. Game 1 is scheduled for Sunday evening at the Canada Life Centre. Colorado finished as the third seed in the Central Division, while Winnipeg was second, just three points above their first-round opponents.

Head-to-head info

These two teams only met three times during the regular season, but the Jets dominated, winning all those meetings, and out-scoring the Avalanche 17-4 in the process. In the last eight matchups, Winnipeg is 6-2 against Colorado. A good sign ahead of this series. They’re both familiar with each other, since they play in the same division.

Colorado Avalanche

The 2021-22 Stanley Cup champions had a really solid season, led by Nathan MacKinnon. The superstar finished second in the league in points with 140, including 51 goals and 89 assists. He trailed only Nikita Kucherov of the Tampa Bay Lightning. MacKinnon is undoubtedly the Avs’ best player, but this is a very well-rounded group.

Colorado ranked first in the NHL in scoring with 3.68 goals per contest. Mikko Rantanen had 104 points of his own, while defenceman Cale Makar collected 90 points. Valeri Nichushkin, Casey Mittelstadt, Jonathan Drouin, and Devin Toews were all consistent contributors, but Drouin has been ruled out for the first round due tom injury.

Jared Bednar’s squad heads into the playoffs with a 4-4-2 record in their last 10 outings and finished the regular season with a 50-2-7 record. The Avalanche last played on Thursday, beating the Edmonton Oilers 5-1. That should help them carry some momentum here because Connor McDavid and Co. are no pushovers. The Avs are a -135 series favorite at Bodog sportsbook.

Winnipeg Jets

The Jets finished the year on an eight-game winning streak. They couldn’t be in better shape ahead of the postseason. Winnipeg was 52-24-6 and nearly won the Central, only finishing three points behind the Dallas Stars. The Jets make their living defensively, allowing the fewest number of goals per night in the league at 2.41.

Offensively, they rank 15th, but there’s a really nice core that can produce. Mark Scheifele is the main man, having scored 25 goals and tallying 47 assists in 74 contests. Josh Morrissey also had 69 points, with 59 helpers and 10 goals. Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers were part of the 60-point club as well.

Winnipeg disappointingly lost in the first round last season to the Vegas Golden Knights in just five games and will surely be looking to make a much deeper run this time around. The Jets made the conference finals in 2018, but since then, it’s been minimal success in the postseason. Their success against Colorado is evident, but NHL sportsbooks have the Jets as an underdog in the series. Getting off to a good start on home ice will be crucial before heading back to the Mile High City.