In perhaps the biggest game of the season to date, the Avalanche had one of their worst showings on Tuesday.
Colorado was shut out 5-0 by the Winnipeg Jets on the road in what turned out to be a forgettable night all around.
The Avs entered the evening just two points back of Winnipeg with a game in hand and an opportunity to solidify the best points percentage in the Central Divison. Instead, Colorado will need to claw out of a four-point hole — albeit with a lot of hockey still to be played.
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Blake Wheeler led the charge for Winnipeg, recording a hat trick and finishing with four points. Mark Scheifele (goal, two assists), Cole Perfetti (three assists) and Josh Morrissey (goal, assist) also had multi-point nights for the Jets, who are now 2-0 against the Avalanche this season.
Colorado had two more debuts on Tuesday, as both Alex Galchenyuk and Jean-Luc Foudy played their first games. The Avs have now used 31 players in just 20 games after using 39 all of last year.
Galchenyuk, 28, signed a one-year contract on Monday after a short stint with the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. He joins the Avs just two months after suffering an injury in training camp with the club.
Foudy, 20, made his NHL debut in the loss, playing 12:11 and recording three shot. He played mostly on a line with Galchenyuk and center Alex Newhook. Foudy was the Avs’ third-round selection (75th overall) in 2020.
The Avs outshot the Jets 40-24. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev made just 19 saves.
