Avalanche not satisfied with first-round playoff win over Jets: ‘There’s a lot of work left to do’

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Avalanche celebrated their first-round playoff victory with the muted enthusiasm of a former champion.

They’re not done yet.

“I’m super proud of the guys,” center Nathan MacKinnon said. “There’s a lot of work left to do.”

On Tuesday night, amid the roar of Winnipeg’s “whiteout” crowd, Colorado silenced Jets fans at Canada Life Centre with a 6-3 victory in Game 5 to clinch the series. Mikko Rantanen scored twice, including the game-winning goal, to break a scoreless drought to begin the postseason.

"I think that’s the best hockey we’ve played for five games in a row all season long," coach Jared Bednar said. "That’s what it takes at this time of the year."

The writing was on the wall.

Colorado mostly outplayed the Jets all series, even in Game 1, scoring six goals in a loss. Starting goalie Alexandar Georgiev rediscovered his mojo and the Avs never looked back. In Game 5, Georgiev posted a .917 save percentage with 33 saves, including several big stops late to stave off Winnipeg’s rally.

Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen are on historic hot streaks. They both scored a goal in all five games — Nichushkin (7) and Lehkonen (5) — tying a franchise record to begin a playoff series set back in 1985 by Michel Goulet.

But they weren’t alone. The Avalanche are just the fourth team in NHL playoff history to score five — or more goals — in each of the first five games to begin a postseason.

Another big positive from this series?

Colorado outmatched Winnipeg’s depth — a supposed Jets strength entering the series — and it masked the absence of Jonathan Drouin for a lower-body injury. Casey Mittelstadt impressed in his NHL playoffs debut as a legit second-line center.

He especially enjoyed silencing Winnipeg fans.

“Oh, yeah,” Mittelstadt said. “It was a blast, for sure.”

The best Avalanche celebration in Game 5, predictably, came from Yakov Trenin.

His second-period goal — burying his own rebound at the crease — gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead. Trenin motioned to the crowd, cupped a hand over his right ear, and then jumped into the glass.

“You could say it was maybe the hardest game of the series. We put all in and defended hard in the second and eventually broke their momentum and scored big goals,” Trenin said. “It’s always nice to score and be a part of the success. It’s a confidence boost.”