Three Takeaways From Avalanche's 3-0 Loss To Winnipeg Jets

The Colorado Avalanche lost 3-0 to the Winnipeg Jets Saturday. The defeat was Colorado's second in its past three games, and the Avs have now fallen from third place in the competitive Central Division to the first Western Conference wild card spot.

Here are three takeaways from the Avalanche's loss to the Jets:

1. No shots, no gots.

Ideally this season, NHL teams can generate upwards of 30-32 shots per game, and the Avs are currently 10th in the league in shots-taken, at 29.5 shots per game. But against Winnipeg Saturday, Colorado managed to put only 12 shots on net in the second and third periods combined.

The Avalanche finished with just 22 shots. The Jets finished with 29. It's not a coincidence the game ended the way it did. Colorado needs to improve at puck possession and creating legitimate scoring chances, as those were in short supply for them Saturday.

2. Blackwood was good. Hellebuyck was better.

The Avalanche continued getting solid goaltending from Mackenzie Blackwood, as he allowed just two goals in Sunday's loss. (Winnipeg's other goal was an empty-netter at the end of the game.) Blackwood faced 28 shots in total, so two goals-allowed should've been enough defense to keep the Avs' offense to win the game. That didn't happen, and that's not the fault of Blackwood.

That said, if you looked at this matchup in the micro sense and just focused on the two goaltenders, you'd have to give the win to Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, who turned aside each of Colorado's 22 shots for his sixth shutout of the season. Hellebuyck outplayed Blackwood, and the Vezina Trophy front-runner is continuing to lead the way for the Jets. Blackwood has to pull some 'W's for his team in a game like this, and if that doesn't happen, the Avalanche are going to be in trouble when the games matter most.

3. MacKinnon, Rantanen lead way in shots, but can't convert any of them into goals.

Avs superstars Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen led the way for Colorado in the shots department Saturday, with three shots apiece. Defenseman Josh Manson also had three shots -- and after that, Devon Toews, Ross Colton, Logan O'Connor, Jonathan Drouin, and Keaton Middleton each had two shots for the Avalanche. And none of them could beat Hellebuyck.

The Avalanche's offense is too potent for there to be many nights like this one. But in the race to win the Central, they need to be better than their opponent consistently, and Saturday's loss should underscore the challenges they face in that regard. Blackwood can only control so much. For the Avs to continue thriving, the offense has to do its job as well.