The set-up: The 25-25-4 Winnipeg Jets will travel to Colorado to take on the NHL-worst 13-33-2 Avalanche. The Jets arrive on the team's first first three-game winning streak of the season, after Thursday's 4-3 victory in Dallas on Thursday. As for Colorado, the Avalanche have not won since Jan. 6, going 0-8-1 over their last nine games.

Winnipeg: "It's a great, great win for us," Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec told reporters after making 39 saves against Dallas. "Now we go to Colorado and we want the two points." The Jets won nine straight games against Central Division competition and with their next three games against division foes (at Colorado, then home to Minnesota and Chicago), the team has a chance to climb back into a wild-card spot. However, Minnesota and Chicago are teh division's best teams, so that makes this game at Colorado doubly important.

Colorado: Rookie goaltender Spencer Martin allowed five goals in Wednesday's 5-0 loss at Los Angeles to the Kings, as Colorado just keeps sinking deeper to the bottom of the NHL standings. "We're trying as hard as we can," Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog told the media afterward, "but for whatever reason, things aren't going our way." The reason is fairly simple, the Avalanche are just a poor club. Colorado's 28 points are 10 fewer than Arizona (second-worst team), having scored the NHL's fewest goals with 94 (Arizona is second-worst with 113) and the team's goal differential of minus-72 is 26 worse than you guessed it, Arizona's minus-46.

The pick: Pavelec has not been great since being recalled from Manitoba of the AHL, as he's posted a 3.21 GAA and .901 save percentage but he is 4-2-0 in six starts. Isn't that good enough against Colorado, whose 4-24-2 run has ensured the club will miss the playoffs for a third straight season. Winnipeg is an 8* play.