Avalanche's home heater continues with chippy 3-2 win vs. Jets

Kyle Newman, The Denver Post on Dec 20, 2025

Published in Hockey

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DENVER — The Avs on home ice remain as close to invincible as a sports team can get.

Colorado beat Winnipeg, 3-2, on Friday at Ball Arena, improving to 14-0-2 in Denver. The win extended the longest home point streak to start a season in franchise history, and the Avs’ 12th straight victory at home is the longest in the NHL this season and second-longest streak in franchise history.

The Avs didn’t play perfect, gave up a short-handed goal and had to battle through several Winnipeg surges after reigning Hart Trophy and Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck settled into the game.

But as they have all season, Colorado found a way to win in front of the Avs faithful in a game featuring four scuffles, highlighted by a fist fight between Josh Manson and the Jets’ Tanner Pearson. The Avs’ only home losses this year came in a pair of 5-4 shootout setbacks, to Dallas on Oct. 11 and Carolina on Oct. 23.

Since then, Colorado’s been a sure bet to prevail at “The Can.”

The Avs started fast against struggling Winnipeg, which has battled injuries and inconsistencies while looking like a shadow of the team that won last season’s Presidents’ Trophy. Colorado blitzed Hellebuyck with a number of quality shots in the first 10 minutes, then finally broke through with Brent Burns’ goal.

Burns, the oldest active NHL player, wristed one home from behind the right playoff circle as his shot deflected off the skate of a Winnipeg defender to make it 1-0.

Five minutes later, Colorado made it 2-0 thanks to a highlight-reel combination between Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas. MacKinnon, tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the NHL points lead entering the night with 58, made a precise pass that split two defenders and found Necas streaking down the center of the ice. Necas beat Hellebuyck on the bottom right shelf.

But in the second period, Hellebuyck tightened up, turning away several scoring chances as the Jets killed three Avs power plays. On the third man-advantage, the Jets stole the momentum back with a short-handed goal.

Off a Hellebuyck save, Alex Iafallo possessed the puck and cleared up ice high off the glass. Morgan Barron beat Cale Makar down the ice to retrieve the bouncer, then beat Scott Wedgewood one-on-one with a backhanded shot to quiet the crowd and make it 2-1 with 37 seconds left in the frame.

Less than two minutes into the third, Colorado grabbed the mojo right back. Manson blasted a shot from up near the blue line, which deflected off a screening Parker Kelly and past Hellebuyck for a 3-1 lead.

But the Jets quickly answered about 90 seconds later, capitalizing on a hooking penalty on Devon Toews as Mark Scheifele scored just seven seconds into Winnipeg’s power play to again make it a one-goal game.

Midway through the period, the Avs had a goal wiped off the board. Kelly deflected the puck into the net off a shot by Samuel Girard, but Kelly used high-sticking to do it, negating the score.

From there, Wedgewood and the Colorado defense held on as the Avs notched their 56th and 57th points of the season. Wedgewood made two saves in the final minute to seal the win for Colorado (25-2-7).