Valeri Nichushkin scored his first-ever hat trick, Alexandar Georgiev had another impressive performance, and the Avalanche defeated the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 in Game 4 on Sunday, putting them just one win away from advancing.
Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar also scored 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 his third goal of the match and a milestone in his 580-game NHL career.
Georgiev, who faced criticism after a rough Game 1, continues to build confidence with each important save. He stopped 26 shots in this game.
On the other hand, Connor Hellebuyck, a top contender for the Vezina Trophy, struggled once again in goal. He let in four goals on 30 shots before being substituted by Laurent Brossoit for the third period. Hellebuyck has now allowed a total of 19 goals in the series.
