The Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets in five games to move on to the next round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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It took five games for the Colorado Avalanche to get past the Winnipeg Jets but they did it with intensity, discipline and depth.
Mikko Rantanen scored his first two goals of the postseason in the 6-3 Game 5 win on Tuesday night. Artturi Lehkonen and Valeri Nichushkin continued their goal-scoring streaks with at least one in each of the first five playoff games.
“Really good for us. I think we got better after every game,” Rantanen said after the series winner. “We kind of looked at things we could do better. And I think we wrapped it up after each game, so we’re really happy with the performance and we keep moving now from here.”
The Jets tied the Florida Panthers in the regular season with fewest goals against but allowed a total of 28 goals (two empty-netters) in five playoff games.
The Avs are the fourth team in Stanley Cup Playoff history — joining the 1985 Chicago Blackhawks (seven games), 1994 New York Rangers (six) and 1981 New York Islanders (five) — to score five-plus goals in each of the first five games of the postseason.
“I think that’s the best hockey we played for five games in a row all season long and that’s what it takes this time of the year and that’s partly our experience,” Bednar said after the game.
Yakov Trenin netted his fifth career playoff goal as part of the fourth line, which head coach Jared Bednar has praised the last two games.
“When I go through our lineup and how our guys are playing — they’re playing to their identity. Take the Trenin line tonight — they were working competitive in a competitive tenacious, relentless puck pursuit,” Bednar said after the 5-1 win on Sunday. “They draw two penalties, so the top guys get out there, they get a big power-play goal, but that’s set up by the Trenin line’s work in their checking details and in their work up the ice.”
Alexandar Georgiev made 34 saves and proved steady and reliable after a tough first game loss.
Colorado will face the winner of the Dallas Stars/Vegas Golden Knights series which is tied at two-all.
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