Phil

(D2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (D3) Colorado Avalanche REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS: Jets: 52-24-6, 110 points Avalanche: 50-25-7, 107 points SEASON SERIES: WPG: 3-0-0, COL: 0-3-0 GAME BREAKERS: Jets: Mark Scheifele continues to be one of the steadiest contributors in the NHL and led Winnipeg with 72 points (25 goals, 47 assists) in 74 games this season. That includes 18 power-play points, third on the Jets behind forward Kyle Connor and defenseman Josh Morrissey, who each had 19. The 31-year-old is averaging 0.97 points per game this season, the eighth consecutive season he's averaged more than 0.85 points per game. Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon had another tremendous season. The center reached 50 goals for the first time in his career, and his 140 points (51 goals, 89 assists) were second in the NHL behind Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov (144 points), and set a single-season Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques record. GOALTENDING: Jets: Hellebuyck continues to be one of the best goalies in the NHL. The 30-year-old has once again gotten a bulk of the workload, going 37-19-4 with five shutouts in 60 games this season. Among goalies to play at least 30 games, he led the NHL with a .921 save percentage and was third with a 2.39 goals-against average. It won't be surprising if he's once again a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the goalie voted best in the NHL, which he won in 2019-20. He was a finalist in 2017-18, and again last season. Backup Laurent Brossoit was 15-5-2 with a 2.00 GAA, .927 save percentage and three shutouts in 23 games. Avalanche: Alexandar Georgiev has had his struggles this season; the 28-year-old was 38-18-5 with a 3.02 GAA, .897 save percentage and two shutouts in 63 games (62 starts). It's likely not a question of workload, because he had the same last season when he was 40-16-6 with a 2.53 GAA, .919 save percentage and five shutouts in 62 games. It's just that the consistency hasn't been there. Backup Justus Annunen was 8-4-1 with a 2.25 GAA, .928 save percentage and two shutouts in 14 games. X FACTORS: Jets: Nikolaj Ehlers was limited to one playoff game last season because of injury when Winnipeg lost to Vegas. This season, the forward tied Scheifele for the Winnipeg lead in even-strength points (54), and he led the Jets with 233 shots on goal. He could continue to be a crucial secondary scorer and beneficiary of Winnipeg's trades for forwards Tyler Toffoli and Sean Monahan. Ehlers had five points (one goal, four assists) in three games against the Avalanche this season. -- Pete Jensen Avalanche: Valeri Nichushkin was on a leave of absence for the final five games of Colorado's first-round series last season, when it lost in seven games to Seattle. Nichushkin nearly averaged a point per game (53 points in 54 games) this season but missed time while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, and also because of an injury later in the season. With Nichushkin, the Avalanche are better positioned for another deep playoff run; he had 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 20 postseason games to help them win the Cup in 2022, including six points (four goals, two assists) in six games during the Stanley Cup Final. -- Pete Jensen WILL WIN IF: Jets: They can hold off the Avalanche's high-powered offense. They've done well in that capacity during the regular season, but the playoffs are different. Colorado is going to be hungry, especially after the lopsided loss to Winnipeg in the final week of the regular season. The Jets will need everyone playing great defense in front of Hellebuyck. Avalanche: If Georgiev rights the ship. Colorado checks off a ton of boxes. But its goaltending is the big question mark. If Georgiev gets his consistency back, the Avalanche will advance to the second round. MORE:

Agreed. I think the hope here is they get through this technical forced sale and Alex Meruelo fails to hit whatever checkpoints he needs to over the next five years to re-activate the franchise. Then, the league can look to other owners in the Phoenix area (Mat Ishbia) and the team can come back with a better owner.

Per Friedman, Caps want Ryan Leonard to play in the series. He hasn't made a decision whether or not to go back to school, but the team wants him going pro.

Yeah, Clorox and Google. Less so Kleenex, but Kleenex fits the category takeover like WWE did to wrestling. It exists everywhere outside of their world, but because they're the biggest giant in the industry, if you say "wrestling," people assume you watch them.

To be fair, Phil hasn't watched WWE in like 15 years. But to non-wrestling people, "WWE" is wrestling because it's both a noun and a verb, like Kleenex or Google.

Rangers sweep RD1. I said what I said.

...so 9 coaches in 14 years, then?

8 coaches in 13 years. Insanity.

I loved this series. I had no context, but this world sucked me in almost immediately. Incredible finale.