We know the Colorado Avalanche will play the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. That became official with the Avs’ blowout loss at the hands of the Jets on Saturday and an overtime loss Sunday against Las Vegas, paired with a Dallas Stars win over Seattle on Saturday to clinch the Central Division crown.
What we don’t know for certain is whether home ice will belong to Colorado or Winnipeg.
As of the conclusion of Sunday’s games, Winnipeg has 106 points on the year to Colorado’s 105. The Jets have two games left on their schedule – Tuesday against the middling Kraken and Thursday against the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks – while Colorado has one game remaining Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers, who have clinched a playoff berth.
The Jets hold the tiebreaker over the Avs, so Colorado needs to finish the regular season with more points than Winnipeg to earn home ice. To do that, the Avs would need a win in their finale and Jets losses in their final two games.
In the NHL, teams earn two points for a win, one point for a tie or an overtime loss, and zero points for a loss.
Winnipeg has won all three of its games against Colorado this season, including two at Ball Arena, by a combined 17-4 score.
