3 Avalanche Players Who Must Come Through Against the Jets

Colorado is going to need all hands on deck if the team wants to avoid a first-round playoff exit for the second year in a row. Of course, all eyes will be on the Avalanche superstars Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and Cale Makar – but they will need plenty of help in order to change the team’s fortunes against the Jets. Here is a look at three players that must come through for Colorado if the Avs are going to make it through to the next round of the NHL Playoffs:

Alexandar Georgiev

This is the most obvious thing you will read all week. If Colorado’s goaltending doesn’t straighten things out, it will be a very, very short series. The pressure is on Alexandar Georgiev to perform, and that’s been a tall order for him recently. He has struggled mightily recently, going 2-3-2 over the last seven games. He allowed a total of 28 goals over those seven contests, and had a save percentage higher than .872 just twice. That doesn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence.

To make things worse, he’s 0-2 with seven goals allowed on just 42 shots in his two combined appearances against the Jets this season. Putting his recent inconsistency together with his struggles against Winnipeg had some clamoring for backup Justus Annunen to start for Colorado in the playoff opener. It would be a surprise if Jared Bednar made a move that drastic, as the 24-year-old backup has appeared in just 14 games this season.

If it comes down to seeing Annunen, it means things aren’t going Colorado’s way. This would be a no-pressure situation for Annunen, even if he were thrown into the fray against Winnipeg in Game 1. That would mean things clearly aren’t going as planned for the Avalanche, making it pretty unlikely. That means the buck stops with Georgiev. Forget MacKinnon’s potential Hart Trophy-winning season, or the fantastic years put up by Rantanen or Makar. If Georgiev continues to sputter in the playoffs, Colorado’s postseason could be over before the calendar turns to May.

Zach Parise

This may seem like a bit of a wild card, but Zach Parise has had more success against the Jets than any other Avalanche player. After spending all those seasons with the Minnesota Wild, he racked up 20 goals and 24 assists in 55 games against Winnipeg in his career. Parise isn’t the player he used to be, and is obviously in the twilight of his career. However, that doesn’t mean he should be written off as a non-contributor.

Parise came to the Avalanche in January as a free agent, in what looked to be the veteran forward’s last chance at winning a Stanley Cup. Now that Jonathan Drouin may be shelved for the series against Winnipeg, there is a chance that Parise could be bumped up to the top line with MacKinnon and Rantanen. That’s a surefire way to jumpstart anyone’s offense, and Parise has as much to play for as anybody.

Should Parise get the chance to play on the top line, he’ll get plenty of chances to put up some points. Colorado (and everybody else) knows MacKinnon and Rantanen are going to be primary point scorers, and they will need Parise to keep up with them – especially because that line is going to see a lot of minutes. The loss of Drouin, who put up career-bests in assists (37) and points (56) this season, is substantial and Parise needs to fill those shoes. If he can tap into a bit of the swagger and moxie from his past, Parise can help push Colorado into the second round.

Casey Mittelstadt

The Avalanche have had a crisis at second-line center since Nazem Kadri left for free agency following the 2021-22 season. They brought in Casey Mittelstadt at the trade deadline, and he has not disappointed. He has 10 points in his 18 games in Colorado, but has scored some timely goals and delivered big minutes. Most importantly, he has centered the potent winger tandem of Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen to create a pretty formidable second line.

Now it’s time for Mittlestadt to show everybody why Colorado unloaded a high-potential defenseman in Bowen Byram for him. The hole at second-line center was glaring when the Avalanche lost to the Seattle Kraken in last year’s opening round. They won’t advance to the second round this year if they get the same results. Mittelstadt has to be in the thick of the scoring for Colorado, mainly because that means Nichushkin and Lehkonen will be more involved. The Avs can’t rely on the top line to do everything, especially with how difficult the Western Conference is this season.

Of course, it’s going to take a team effort for the Avalanche to get past the Jets, but the depth scoring absolutely has to be there. The Avs have been able to count on MacKinnon’s top line to carry a heavy load, but solving a goaltender like Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck takes every bit of your arsenal. That means the second-line center has to come through. If he can provide a spark and some depth scoring, it will be something that Colorado lacked last postseason, and it might be the boost they need to get over the hump against Winnipeg.

There might be others that Colorado will find out they can lean on, but this season’s performances against Winnipeg means the Avs have little margin for error. If they don’t get improved play in the net, and even more scoring from some unlikely spots, things could get troublesome in a hurry. Fortunately for the Avalanche, they have the experience and the talent to make a deep run. They just have to make sure everyone’s moving in the right direction.