During his postgame interview on the ice, Valeri Nichushkin summed his feelings about the day with just three words: “I feel amazing.”
Nichushkin achieved his first-ever hat trick, while Alexandar Georgiev delivered another impressive performance, leading the Avalanche to a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 on Sunday, putting them just one win away from advancing.
It’s been a turbulent season for Nichushkin, who faced challenges and missed significant time earlier this year to seek help from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. But the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Nichushkin is now hitting his stride.
“It’s tough to handle a player of his size and speed,” commented Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the game’s opening goal.
Cale Makar also contributed a goal for the Avalanche, who now lead the first-round series 3-1. The next game, Game 5, will be on Tuesday night in Winnipeg.
Nichushkin sealed his hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final seconds of the game, marking a memorable milestone in his 580-game NHL career.
“I didn’t realize this was his first hat trick. That’s pretty awesome,” remarked Makar. “When he plays to his strengths and skates well, he’s a really special player to watch.”
Georgiev faced pressure after a tough Game 1, but his confidence grows with each important save. He stopped 26 shots in the afternoon game.
Connor Hellebuyck, a top contender for the Vezina Trophy, continues to struggle in goal. He let in four goals on 30 shots before being substituted by Laurent Brossoit for the third period. Hellebuyck has now allowed 19 goals in the series.
“I don’t blame him for those goals,” said forward Mark Scheifele of Hellebuyck. “He’s crucial to our team.”
Lehkonen and Nichushkin have both scored in every game of the series. Makar contributed a goal and an assist on Sunday, bringing his playoff points total to 73 in 65 career games. This makes him the second-highest-scoring defenseman in postseason history, behind only Bobby Orr.
Makar’s goal was impressive, as he skillfully maneuvered through Winnipeg’s defense before scoring past Hellebuyck.
“He’s the best for a reason,” teammate Casey Mittelstadt said of Makar. “That’s what he does.” Nathan MacKinnon also had two assists, while Nate Schmidt scored for Winnipeg.
In the third period, there was a scary moment when Winnipeg forward Vladislav Namestnikov got hit in the left side of his face by a puck. Namestnikov was trying to avoid a shot from teammate Nate Schmidt when the puck hit a stick and hit him.
Namestnikov stayed down on the ice while trainers rushed out to help. He was assisted off the ice with a towel pressed to his head and left through the Avalanche bench. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.
On Friday, Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon got a cut on his hand after it seemed he was cut by a skate blade during a scuffle after the final horn in Colorado’s 6-2 win.
The Jets got into four penalties in the second period, which helped the Avalanche take control of the game with three goals. Nichushkin scored two power-play goals to give Colorado a 4-1 lead.
“We need to change our strategy,” said Nino Niederreiter. Jets coach Rick Bowness had another suggestion — avoid getting penalized. “The problems are our fault,” Bowness said. “Penalties hurt our game.”
Avalanche forward Nikolai Kovalenko made his NHL debut after being called up from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. Kovalenko became the sixth Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques player to make their league debut in the playoffs.
Kovalenko’s father, Andrei, played for the Avalanche when the team moved to Denver in 1995-96. He was part of the trade that brought Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy to the Avalanche from Montreal in December 1995.
This was an unusual afternoon playoff game for the Avalanche. The last time they hosted a postseason afternoon game was on April 17, 2004, against Dallas in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Colorado won 5-1.
However, there’s no time to dwell on this win. “The job isn’t done yet,” Lehkonen said.
