Overview
- Colorado's 3-2 victory in Winnipeg on Thursday completed a 4-0 road trip and pushed the NHL leaders to 48-13-10 with 106 points.
- Nathan MacKinnon scored his 47th and 48th goals, breaking a 1-1 tie 13 seconds into the third on a power play and adding a deflection that stood after a goalie interference challenge.
- The Avalanche now hold a nine-point Central Division lead over Dallas with a game in hand, and standings math suggests about six to seven more wins would lock up the league's top seed.
- Mark Scheifele scored both Jets goals to reach a career-high 88 points, but Winnipeg fell to 30-30-12 and remains five points back of a Western wild-card spot with a rematch Saturday in Denver.
- Colorado's push comes as analysts frame the Central as the league's toughest cluster and note that the Presidents' Trophy grants home ice but has not led to many recent Stanley Cup winners.