Lehkonen registered a goal and an assist in the 5-1 playoff win over the Jets on Sunday.
With the Avalanche peppering Connor Hellebuyck in the first period, Lehkonen was able to open the scoring for his fourth goal of round one on the 12th shot of the game. Lehkonen added a primary power-play assist late in the second frame to give Colorado a 4-1 lead. He added one hit, three shots on net, one blocked shot, two PIM and a plus-1 rating in 18:39 of ice time. Including the regular season, Lehkonen is on a six-game point streak, scoring four goals and adding five assists over that span.
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Avalanche's Nathan MacKinnon: Distributes two helpers
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MacKinnon notched two assists and added three shots on net in Sunday's 5-1 win over Winnipeg.
MacKinnon provided two power-play assists in the second period to help give the Avalanche a 4-1 lead going into the third period. He added one hit, three shots on net, two PIM and a plus-1 rating in 20:56 of ice time. Including the regular season, MacKinnon is on a six-game point streak, scoring two goals and adding eight assists over that span. Colorado will be on the the road this Tuesday when they face the Jets in game five.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Scores hat trick
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Nichushkin scored three times on five shots in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Jets.
Nichushkin deposited two power-play goals in the second period to give the Avalanche a 4-1 lead going into the third period. He added an empty-net goal late in the third frame for the hatrick and his sixth goal of the playoffs. The 29-year-old winger added two hits, three blocked shots, five shots on net and a plus-2 rating in 22:28 of ice time. Including the regular season, Nichushkin is on a six-game point streak, scoring eight goals and one assist over that span.
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Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev: Third straight win
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Georgiev allowed one goal on 27 shots in Sunday's 5-1 home win over the Jets.
Georgiev allowed a first period goal on the fifth shot of the game but then kicked aside the next 22 shots to keep the Jets off the scoreboard. After a poor performance in game one, Georgiev has only allowed five goals on 77 shots for a .935 save percentage in the last three games. The Avalanche will look to move on to round two when they visit Winnipeg on Tuesday.
Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Dealing with minor injury
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Kiviranta missed Sunday's Game 4 win over Winnipeg due to a lower-body injury and is considered day-to-day, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.
Kiviranta should be considered questionable for Game 5 on Tuesday. He has one assist while averaging 10:14 of ice time through three appearances this series.
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Avalanche's Joel Kiviranta: Absent from warmups
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Kiviranta (undisclosed) did not take the ice for warmups and is out Sunday for Game 4 against Winnipeg, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Kiviranta left Friday's game multiple times with the injury. While he was able to return, the winger will ultimately be held out Sunday in Game 4. The 28-year-old Kiviranta had an assist through three games in the series after tallying three goals and nine points in 56 regular-season contests. Newly recalled Nikolai Kovalenko could make his NHL debut while Kiviranta is sidelined.
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Avalanche's Alexandar Georgiev: Tending twine in Game 4
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Georgiev will protect the home net Sunday in Game 4 against Winnipeg, Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette reports.
Georgiev has stopped 50 of 54 shots over the last two games, winning both following a disastrous showing in Game 1 versus the Jets in which he surrendered seven goals. With a victory in Sunday's contest, the Avalanche would take a 3-1 series lead back to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Tuesday.
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Avalanche's Nikolai Kovalenko: Joining Avs
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Kovalenko was recalled from AHL Colorado on Sunday, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now reports.
Kovalenko is an intriguing prospect who tallied 11 goals and 35 points in 42 games in the KHL this season. He may be simply a depth option for now, but it wouldn't be surprising to see the 24-year-old winger deployed in a bottom-six role at some point in the postseason.
Avalanche's Andrew Cogliano: Assists in consecutive outings
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Cogliano notched an assist in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Cogliano has a helper in consecutive contests after going 17 games without a point. Nonetheless, the 36-year-old forward shouldn't be expected to generate much offense during the playoffs while playing on the fourth line. He's picked up four hits, no shots on goal and a plus-1 rating in addition to his two helpers through three postseason outings.
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Avalanche's Josh Manson: Provides helper Friday
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Manson notched an assist, two shots on goal, two hits and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 2.
Manson has strung together a five-game point streak with two goals and three assists in that span. He has a goal, two helpers, 11 shots on net, 10 hits, three blocked shots and a plus-3 rating through three playoff outings. He stayed in a top-four role Friday even with the return of Samuel Girard (concussion) -- Sean Walker was demoted to the third pairing.
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Avalanche's Samuel Girard: Nabs helper in postseason debut
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Girard recorded an assist, two hits and a plus-3 rating in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Girard missed four games with a concussion, but he returned with 21:05 of ice time in Friday's contest. He also snapped the 10-game point drought that led into his absence, assisting on a Ross Colton tally in the third period. Caleb Jones was scratched to make way for Girard, who should hold down a top-four role going forward.
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Avalanche's Cale Makar: Logs power-play helper
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Makar notched a power-play assist, five shots on goal and two blocked shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Makar has a goal, five assists, 11 shots on net and eight blocked shots through three playoff contests. He's on a five-game point streak as well, with nine points in that span, including four on the power play. Makar's roles on the top pairing and first power-play unit see him logging a ton of ice time, so there's no reason to think his offense will drop off much during the postseason.
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Avalanche's Mikko Rantanen: Sends two power-play assists
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Rantanen notched two power-play assists, three shots on goal and two PIM in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Rantanen has been all playmaker in the postseason with five helpers over three contests. He's added six shots on net, nine hits and a plus-1 rating while playing in his familiar roles on the top line and first power-play unit. Rantanen has two goals and five assists during his five-game point streak, which he'll look to keep rolling in Sunday's Game 4.
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Avalanche's Casey Mittelstadt: Distributes three helpers
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Mittelstadt earned three assists, fired three shots on goal, went plus-3 and added two PIM in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Mittelstadt helped out on goals by Zach Parise, Artturi Lehkonen and Ross Colton. This was Mittelstadt's first multi-point effort in an Avalanche sweater. He's earned 14 points over 21 contests since he was traded from the Sabres at the deadline, and he's consistently held down a second-line job with Colorado.
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Avalanche's Ross Colton: Adds insurance marker
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Colton scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Colton is riding a five-game point streak with two goals and three assists in that span. He has a goal and two helpers during the playoffs, and he's added seven shots on net, 11 hits and a plus-1 rating over those three contests. He remains in a third-line role, but he poses a threat as a depth scorer when the Avalanche's offense is humming as it has been in this series (17 goals over three games).
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Avalanche's Zach Parise: Opens scoring Friday
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Parise scored a goal on three shots, went plus-3 and added four hits in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Parise has scored in three of the last four games, including each of the last two contests in this first-round series. The winger has added eight shots on net and 10 hits while seeing top-six usage this postseason. Parise's retiring at the end of the Avalanche's playoff run, so he can be expected to empty the tank in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
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Avalanche's Artturi Lehkonen: Nets goal Friday
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Lehkonen scored a goal on five shots, added two hits and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Lehkonen has scored in three straight games and has three goals and four assists during a five-game point streak. Five of those points, as well as 16 shots on net and six hits, have come over three playoff outings. The 28-year-old winger is making the most of his top-six role and power-play time to put up strong scoring numbers.
