What Happened
Winnipeg wrapped up its pre-season with a 5-2 defeat against Colorado in Denver on Friday, closing the exhibition schedule at 1-3. The Jets took an early lead on a Nino Niederreiter power-play goal, and Vladislav Namestnikov restored the advantage in the second period after Colorado tied it. From there, the Avalanche scored four unanswered goals across the final period and a half. T.J. Hughes led Colorado with three goals and four points, factoring in on all but one of the team's markers.
Key Details
- Jets finish the pre-season with a 1-3 record
- Nino Niederreiter opened the scoring on the power play in the first period
- Vladislav Namestnikov scored in the second period to put Winnipeg back ahead
- T.J. Hughes posted a hat trick and four points for Colorado
- Cale Makar and Jaden Schwartz also scored for the Avalanche
- Stuart Skinner played all three periods for Winnipeg, allowing four goals on 32 shots
What It Means
The result closes out Winnipeg's exhibition slate and shifts attention to the regular season, with the Jets' presumptive opening-night starter Stuart Skinner getting a full three-period workload in the finale. For Colorado, the game offered a look at prospect T.J. Hughes, who spent two games with the AHL Colorado Eagles at the end of last season and made the most of his pre-season opportunity with a four-point night.
What's Next
Winnipeg opens its regular season on Oct. 2 against the Boston Bruins.