Rantanen scores twice in 3rd, Avalanche eliminate Jets with Game 5 win

WINNIPEG -- Mikko Rantanen scored two goals in the third period, and the Colorado Avalanche eliminated the Winnipeg Jets with a 6-3 win in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Canada Life Centre on Tuesday.

Rantanen scored his first of the playoffs to put Colorado back in front 4-3 at 4:11, redirecting a Devon Toews point shot past goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

“Overall, the series was really good for us,” Rantanen said. “I thought we got better. After every game we looked at things we could do better, and I think we wrapped it up after each game. So, really happy with the performance and we’ll keep moving now from here.”

Rantanen made it 5-3 at 8:01, finishing off a cross-crease pass from Nathan MacKinnon on a 2-on-1 rush.

“Over the years, you just learn there's going to be highs and lows and it’s how you react to it along the way, and just super happy with how we worked, how hard we battled this series,” MacKinnon said. “It was amazing. Before the series, I think we became really humble. We weren’t playing well. These guys (Winnipeg) just beat us 7-0 (in Colorado on April 13), so it was a big wakeup call to how hard it takes to even win a series in this league. Super proud of the guys and a lot of work left to do here.”

Josh Manson scored an empty-net goal at 19:58 for the 6-3 final.

Valeri Nichushkin, Yakov Trenin and Artturi Lehkonen also scored for the Avalanche, who won four straight games after losing Game 1. Alexandar Georgiev made 34 saves. MacKinnon and Toews each had two assists.

Colorado will play the winner of the series between the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights. That series is tied 2-2 and continues with Game 5 in Dallas on Wednesday.

“I just think everyone’s on the same page,” MacKinnon said. “A lot of similarities to the year we won (the Stanley Cup in 2022), I think. We just know everyone in that room is going to give everything they have, that’s the standard, and obviously whether you score or don’t, some of that stuff is out of your control, but you can control your effort and how hard you work… whether we win or lose, we just want to go out swinging.”

Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey and Tyler Toffoli scored for the Jets, who were the No. 2 seed from the Central Division. Hellebuyck made 27 saves.

“We brought our best game in the series, but obviously at this point we were a desperate team,” Morrissey said. “We didn't get to our game soon enough in the series. That's the way I see it, I'm proud of the way the guys competed but… you work all year to give yourself an opportunity. We had a great regular season and out in five, it's pretty disappointing.”

Connor gave the Jets a 1-0 lead 1:15 into the first period. Manson attempted to clear Connor’s rebound from the crease, but it deflected off Lehkonen and in.

“They’re an elite team over there, they have high-end talent and I think when we look back at the series, special teams, especially our penalty kill, that really hurt us in a couple of big moments and in a couple of games,” Winnipeg captain Adam Lowry said. “(And) just our inability to get to our 5-on-5 game until tonight. Those will be the two keys that you take away. Credit to the Avs. They played a [heck] of a series and they’ve got a great team. They’re going to be a tough out.”

Nichushkin tied it 1-1 at 3:18, taking a seam pass from Toews and scoring with a one-timer from the bottom of the right face-off circle.

“That’s by far the best playoff game we’ve played -- it didn’t go our way tonight,” Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness said. "Couple goals went in off of us. We had some chances that we didn’t score. Where was that in the first four games? That’s a question we’re going to have to answer ourselves over the course of the summer. But we’re way ahead of where we were at this point last year when we lost. Way ahead.”

Trenin pushed it to 2-1 at 5:42 of the second, collecting a loose puck at the net front and beating Hellebuyck.

“You could say it was maybe the hardest game of the series,” Trenin said. “We all put all in and we defended hard in the second and [we] eventually break their momentum and score some big goals in the third.”

Morrissey tied it 2-2 at 6:48 on the power play with a one-timer from the point.

“You know, when I watch this series, they were faster most of the games,” Morrissey said. “They were aggressive, that was clearly their game plan. Like I said, I think we just never brought our best game until today, where I think we played our best game we’ve had in the series, but I still don’t think it’s our best game. It’s disappointing. There is going to be a time of reflection, where there always is, which [stinks]. But we need to figure out a way to all get better this offseason because we just saw what it looks like to play against a team that knows how to win.”

Lehkonen gave the Avalanche a 3-2 lead when his centering pass went in off Jets defenseman Neal Pionk’s stick blade at 13:45.

“I thought the first couple periods we were maybe a little bit too cautious,” Georgiev said. “But in the third we knew they would try to open it up we scored a big goal, the fourth one, and kept playing smart. Very, very solid effort.”

Toffoli tied it 3-3 at 2:06, taking a drop pass from Nikolaj Ehlers as he entered the offensive zone and beating Georgiev under his blocker with a wrist shot.

“There's no moral victories in this league,” Lowry said. “I think we got back to the foundation of being a real solid defensive team and we thought we were going to give ourselves a great chance with that identity to go on a long run. Unfortunately, we couldn't play that game consistently enough. It's not for a lack of trying or a lack of effort. I think everyone in this room shows up and they put their best foot forward. The Avs did a really good job forcing us to try and play their game.”

NOTES: The Avalanche became the fourth team in NHL history to record at least five goals in each of their first five games of a playoff run. The 1985 Chicago Black Hawks (seven) and the 1994 New York Rangers (six) are the only teams with a longer run. … Nichushkin scored in all five games of the series, tying Michel Goulet for the longest goal streak to start a postseason in Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques franchise history. His seven goals in the series tied Rantanen, Joe Sakic and Réal Cloutier for the most in a series in franchise history.