Winnipeg’s 7-6 win over Colorado in Game 1 of their best-of-seven series was one for the ages.
The two teams traded goals through a 3-3 first period, but then the Jets pulled away and held off the Avalanche to take the curtain-raiser.
Alexandar Georgiev’s play in goal for the Avs was the story in Game 1 and it looks like the 28-year-old will be back in the cage for Game 2.
Colorado is a slight -112 favorite on the road Tuesday evening.
Avalanche vs. Jets prediction
(9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
What makes this matchup so enticing is that these two teams are built so differently.
Colorado has some of the sport’s brightest talents, including the likely MVP Nathan MacKinnon, but there are question marks about the team’s depth and goaltending.
The Jets don’t have the game-breaking stars up front, but they have the league’s best goaltender and are built on depth.
You’d think that a 7-6 scoreline would be the kind of game the Avs would want to engage in, but the Jets were able to jump out to a lead in the second period and felt comfortable their goaltender would make one more save than Georgiev, who was hung out to dry a bit too.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about making the necessary adjustments in a series and, surprisingly, one change the Avs will likely look to make is to slow the game down.
They need to do a better job of protecting Georgiev, who will be under immense pressure to turn around his form.
The Jets will be more than happy for a tight game to break out, as the last thing they want to do is engage the Avalanche in back-and-forth contests night after night.
Betting on the NHL?
It worked out for them in Game 1, but that’s a dangerous style to play against the high-flying Avs.
Going to the Under 6 after a 13-goal outburst in Game 1 may not seem like a fun bet, but there’s reason to believe that this will be more akin to a rock fight than what we saw Sunday evening.
The Bet: Under 6 (-105, DraftKings)
