Jets crush Avalanche 7-0, scoring 4 goals in 1st period

The Winnipeg Jets want to remember this game for everything that went right. Colorado wants to remember it, too, for all that went wrong.

Josh Morrissey and Adam Lowry scored 10 seconds apart in a four-goal first period that chased Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev from the net, and the Jets moved into the driver’s seat for the Central Division’s second seed with a 7-0 win against the Avalanche on Saturday.

With Dallas wrapping up the division title earlier in the day, the stage is set for Colorado and Winnipeg squaring off in the first round of the playoffs. All that remains to sort out is which team has home-ice advantage. The Jets are two points ahead of the Avalanche for the No. 2 spot in the division with two games to play. They also hold the tiebreaker.

Winnipeg just may have found a blueprint as well for keeping in check a speedy Colorado team.

“That’s not their hockey team,” Jets coach Rick Bowness cautioned. “We know they’re a great hockey team and we know it’s going to be a tough series … We came out and wanted to play aggressive against them, and we did.”

The Avalanche aren’t looking to turn the page on this game. Not after this outcome.

“You can’t be forgetting why it ended up like that, especially when you have to play them at the most important time of the year,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, whose team has lost three of their last four games. “We’re going to have to remember it. We’re going to have to learn from it, study it, understand it. We’re going to have to be a lot better than that.”

Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for his fifth shutout of the season.

Sean Monahan and Lowry each had two goals, while Gabriel Vilardi and Tyler Toffoli also scored to help the Jets extend their win streak to six in a row. Winnipeg led 7-0 after two periods as 10 players had a point. It’s the first time in franchise history the team has scored seven consecutive goals in a game, according to NHL Stats.

Winnipeg finished 3-0 against Colorado this season, outscoring the Avalanche by a 17-4 margin.

“It’s nice to come in here and play really well, but come playoff…