From the coach to his teammates, the Avalanche have publicly stood firm on struggling goaltender Alexandar Georgiev.

He delivered his performance Thursday night, achieving the best performance by an Avs goaltender this season against the No. 1 team in the NHL standings. Georgiev stopped the last 27 shots he faced in a 1-0 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.

“It’s important. He played well, well enough for us to win the game,” Avs defenseman Josh Manson said. “I made some huge saves. We just couldn’t get one from the other guy.

“I think we just expect these guys to play the way we know they can play. I think (Thursday) night (Georgiev) was really beyond my expectations. He was like an elite goalie. If we approach it almost regularly, we will be in an excellent position.

The match should boost Georgiev’s confidence considerably, but his impact on those around him shouldn’t be underestimated either. Colorado, as a team, has played well during some of Georgiev’s starts, but he and Justus Annunen have struggled early this season.

Annunen found his game first and had a series of solid, if not better, starts. He started six of eight games before Thursday night, with Kaapo Kahkonen also getting a night in net.

Georgiev’s night, like the rest of the team’s, didn’t start well when the Jets scored 66 seconds into the game. But he then shut down the NHL’s highest-scoring team, including a save key on the power play at the end of the first period and a scoring save in the third to keep the Avs in the game.

Competition doesn’t get any easier. Colorado faces the second-best team in scoring percentage and third-best offense in the league Saturday night when Carolina comes to Ball Arena. Another top-five attack will take place next Friday when Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals pay him a visit.

But Georgiev will have, from the start against the Hurricanes, his chance to return to the net.

“He was great last game and gave us a great chance to win,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “That’s what we said: we’re going to face a rested goalkeeper. We will face the goalkeeper who we think gives us the best chance of winning. Justus had a good start and had a few matches together, and (Georgiev) deserves the same respect.

“We have to get the most out of every guy we have. Especially now – it’s more important now. When you’re missing someone in your lineup, it becomes more important that everyone else plays well, and the reality probably still lies in the goalie position.

Georgiev’s first six starts left him last in the NHL in goals saved above expectations, according to MoneyPuck. Even after the Jets finished with 2.96 expected goals and Georgiev only gave up one, he’s still 50th out of 50 goalies with five or more games played.

Early in the season, everything is a small sample size and the variance is greater with goaltenders than with any other position. But Georgiev can now say he’s in the black over his last three games after the first four were bad. The first two games of this stretch were baby steps, while his night in Winnipeg seemed more significant.

Bednar and his teammates said his struggles were more mental than physical. It was also a boost for them to see Georgiev show what he did against the Jets.

“We can be as confident as we want, but we need results,” Avs defenseman Devon Toews said. “If it’s the same results, it’s difficult to play for him, it’s difficult for us to play in front of him. Playing a good game was a good start, and we need that as regularly as possible.

Want more Avalanche news? Sign up for Avalanche Insider to get all our NHL analysis.