Winnipeg Jets beat Colorado Avalanche 3:1 in their NHL opener on September 22nd, 2026. Both sides stepped onto the ice with empty tables behind them, zero games and zero points each. By then the season had barely begun, but the result set a tone that mattered more than any standing could yet show.
And here's the thing — this wasn't the match we expected. We'd backed the visitors at 53 per cent confidence, counted on Colorado's recent edge. They'd won four of five against Utah and Vegas in their last outings, while Winnipeg had lost four straight before that 2:5 defeat to Edmonton on September 20th. The form guide pointed one way. The ice said another.
What shifted things was that first period. Winnipeg didn't come out flat or nervous, despite the losing run. To be fair, they'd been caught in possession too often in April, but this felt different — sharper edges, quicker transitions. They didn't need to wait for mistakes; they made their own.
Colorado's visitors' record hasn't been tested yet, and neither has Winnipeg's home advantage. But watching from the stands, you notice things cameras miss. The way the Jets' defensive pair covered the boards, how their forwards pressed high up the pitch instead of retreating. Things came to a head when Colorado tried to build from the back and lost the puck in their own zone.
That opened the door. Winnipeg ended a barren spell with the goal that changed everything. After that, the Avalanche pressed harder but found nothing to work with. The hosts saw it out, closing the game the way they'd started it — with control rather than reaction.
The table still reads the same for both sides: second and fifth place, zero points each. But the gap between them widened tonight. Winnipeg clawed their way back from a losing streak that stretched through April. Colorado, for all their recent wins, couldn't carry momentum across the border. Three points on the board. The season has only just begun, but some moments decide more than you think.
