Valeri Nichushkin Leads Avalanche to Victory Over Jets with Hat Trick in Game 4 Rout

Sunday, April 28th, 2024

Valeri Nichushkin celebrated his inaugural hat trick while Alexandar Georgiev showcased a solid performance as goaltender, leading the Avalanche to a 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the fourth game. This win positions them just one victory away from moving on in the playoffs. Artturi Lehkonen and Cale Makar contributed to the scoring for Colorado, propelling them to a 3-1 series advantage in this opening round matchup.

With an empty-net goal, Nichushkin capped off his milestone hat trick, a premiere in his 580-game NHL career. Georgiev, enhancing his series performance, stopped 26 shots, shaking off an unstable start in Game 1.

In contrast, Winnipeg's goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck faced challenges, letting in four goals on 30 attempts before Laurent Brossoit took over his position. Throughout the series, Hellebuyck has given up 19 goals. Notably, Lehkonen and Nichushkin have found the back of the net in every game of the series so far.

Makar displayed his exceptional talent, notching a goal plus an assist and continuing to elevate his playoff points-per-game average to 1.12, a statistic surpassed only by the legendary Bobby Orr among NHL defensemen.

Nathan MacKinnon set up two goals, while Nate Schmidt was the lone goal scorer for Winnipeg. The game had its tense moment when Vladislav Namestnikov had to leave the game after taking a puck to the face, exiting with a towel to stem the bleeding.

In his NHL debut, Nikolai Kovalenko stepped onto the ice, continuing the legacy of his father, Andrei, who once played for the Avalanche in the 1990s.

The home matinee playoff game was a rare occasion for Colorado, their first since 2004. Avalanche Coach Jared Bed

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