Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in Denver on Tuesday night.
Artturi Lehkonen and Devon Toews also scored for Colorado. Josh Manson recorded two assists, and Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves in the win, which extended the Avalanche’s streak to five straight victories.
Gabriel Vilardi and Rasmus Kupari scored for the Jets, while Eric Comrie made 33 saves. Winnipeg’s four-game winning streak came to an end.
Jets defenseman Dylan DeMelo was injured late in the third period after taking a shot and limped off the ice to the locker room.
Colorado outshot Winnipeg 25-17 through the first two periods, and Mittelstadt broke a 2-2 tie in the third when he deflected Manson’s shot past Comrie at 7:22. It was his first goal since Nov. 18, marking a span of 19 games, and only his sixth point in 13 December games.
Comrie left for an extra skater with 2:06 remaining, and Mikko Rantanen sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 18:31, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon, who recorded his NHL-best 61st point.
Ross Colton added another empty-net goal at 19:53 to complete the scoring.
Lehkonen gave the Avalanche the lead at 11:51 of the first period when he deflected Manson’s shot from the point while being checked by Logan Stanley.
Colorado controlled much of the second period, but the Jets took the first goal when Morgan Barron passed to the far side of the crease, where Kupari tipped it past Blackwood’s left pad at 10:20.
The Avalanche regained the lead later in the period. Cale Makar, who had shaken off a puck hitting his skate, passed to Toews in the left circle. Toews missed his shot, but managed to poke the puck through Comrie’s pads at 16:37.
Winnipeg tied the game again before the second intermission when Vilardi scored on a loose puck in the crease, lifting it over Blackwood’s left shoulder at 18:32.
