Avs throttle Jets, second period explosion leads to 3-1 series edge

The Avs did it again to the Jets on Sunday afternoon, and now Colorado has a 3-1 series lead in their Round 1 showdown.

A 5-1 victory has Colorado on the edge of advancing in the playoffs, and the Jets playing golf later this week. It was a flurry of action that titled yet another contest.

With the game tied 1-1 midway through the second period, the floodgates opened, much like they did on Friday night. Colorado got three goals in an eight-minute span, extending the lead to 4-1 and essentially putting the game on ice.

Valeri Nichushkin got the party started, scoring a sweet tip-in goal on a shot from the point courtesy of Cale Makar. It came on the power play, which has become a theme in this series.

And then, Makar scored one of the nastiest goals you will ever see. Essentially taking on the entire Winnipeg team by himself, Makar went coast-to-coast and beat Winnipeg goalie Connor Hellebuyck with a filthy wrist-shot. This is one you will see on the highlight shows again and again on Sunday night and beyond.

CALE MAKAR COAST-TO-COAST FOR THE HIGHLIGHT REEL GOAL 🍿 pic.twitter.com/pvztOyMD3D

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 28, 2024

After the game, Makar called the goal “lucky” twice, which couldn’t be further than the truth. Even getting two questions on the fantastic play wouldn’t get him to budge.

The great @markkiszla tries to get Cale Makar to talk about his “lucky” goal again, but Cale continues to deflect — truly one of the most low-key elite athletes on the planet. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/l9dBMD5WE6

— Will Petersen (@PetersenWill) April 28, 2024

Nichushkin added another late in the second period, also on the power play, and the Jets looked broken. Hellebuyck has not been sharp in this series, at all, and the Avalanche have scored six goals, four goals, five goals and four goals on him in the four games.

And Winnipeg head coach Rick Bowness had seen enough. After 40 minutes of play, he switched to backup Laurent Brossoit. It was a stunning development, considering Hellebuyck is the likely Vezina trophy winner this season as the NHL’s best goalie.

The third period saw the score almost hold, and all that was in question was the final. Nichushkin scored an empty-netter with 13 seconds left, registering his first career hat trick. Fans threw their caps on the ice to celebrate.

Also in the frame, Jets center Vladislav Namestnikov took a slap-shot to the head, going down in a heap. It was a scary situation with trainers rushing out and blood on the ice. Luckily, Namestnikov was able to get off on his own two skates with some assistance.

In the first period, the Avalanche came out flying. They hit Hellebuyck with a barrage of pucks, and broke through a little more than eight minutes into the action.

Casey Mittelstadt hit Artturi Lehkonen with another gorgeous assist, Mittelstadt has been great this series, and “Lehky” had no trouble firing it past Hellebuyck.

But then things got strange. Winnipeg’s Nate Schmidt beat Avs goalie Alexandar Georgiev clean on a sniper, but the Avs challenged the play for offsides. It clearly looked like a Jets player entered the zone before the puck, but Colorado somehow lost the appeal. Winnipeg was awarded a power play thanks to the “failed” challenge, but luckily the Avalanche killed it off.

It wasn’t a banner day for the referees, as that call was largely questioned and they also missed a high-stick on Nathan MacKinnon early in the second. Still, Colorado was awarded four power plays as the Jets continue to play sloppy against a better team.

Now, the Avs can end Winnipeg’s season on Tuesday night in their own barn.

Colorado is running circles on the Jets right now, and this thing might very well be wrapped up with four straight wins.

Valeri Nichushkin did something he’s never done, the Avs are getting production from everyone and the goalie change wasn’t the one fans might have thought a week ago. @heyrachelvigil and @PetersenWill have your postgame minute! pic.twitter.com/sbQY4ZF5JR

— Denver Sports (@DenverSportsCom) April 28, 2024