MacKinnon, Avalanche to host the Jets

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Winnipeg Jets (46-30-4, first in the Central Division) vs. Colorado Avalanche (37-29-14, fifth in the Central Division)

Denver; Thursday, 9 p.m. EDT

BOTTOM LINE: Nathan MacKinnon leads Colorado into a matchup with Winnipeg. He's seventh in the league with 97 points, scoring 40 goals and recording 57 assists.

The Avalanche are 11-9-5 against the rest of their division. Colorado averages 9.5 penalty minutes per game, the third-most in the league. Ian Cole leads the team serving 115 total minutes.

The Jets are 21-18-0 on the road. Winnipeg averages 9.3 penalty minutes per game, the second-most in the Western Conference. Dustin Byfuglien leads the team serving 65 total minutes. In their last meeting on Feb. 20, Colorado won 7-1.

TOP PERFORMERS: MacKinnon leads the Avalanche with 57 assists and has recorded 97 points this season. Tyson Barrie has collected six goals and five assists over the last 10 games for Colorado.

LAST 10 GAMES: Jets: 5-5-0, averaging 2.5 goals, 4.1 assists, 3.4 penalties and eight penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game with a .917 save percentage.

Avalanche: 7-1-2, averaging 3.1 goals, 4.8 assists, 2.9 penalties and 6.1 penalty minutes while giving up 1.9 goals per game with a .946 save percentage.

Avalanche Injuries: Mikko Rantanen: day to day (undisclosed).

Jets Injuries: Brandon Tanev: day to day (upper body).