From left, Winnipeg Jets left wing Alex Iafallo battles for position with Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson as Avalanche goaltender Alexandar Georgiev looks on in the third period of Game 4 of their NHL first-round playoff series Sunday in Denver. (AP photo)

DENVER (AP) — In his postgame on-ice interview, Valeri Nichushkin described his day in as many words as he had goals: “I feel amazing.”

Nichushkin recorded his first career hat trick, Alexandar Georgiev turned in another strong showing and the Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-1 in Game 4 on Sunday to move a win away from advancing.

It’s been a roller-coaster season for the 29-year-old Nichushkin, who missed nearly two months earlier this year to receive care from NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound fast-moving Nichushkin is getting up to full speed.

“It’s hard to stop the big man,” said Artturi Lehkonen, who scored the game’s first goal.

Cale Makar also scored for the Avalanche, who grabbed a 3-1 lead in the first-round series. Game 5 is Tuesday night in Winnipeg.

Colorado Avalanche left wing Artturi Lehkonen, front left, celebrates after scoring a goal with left wing Zach Parise, back left, and defenseman Sean Walker in the first period of Game 4 of an NHL first-round playoff series against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday in Denver. (AP photo)

Nichushkin added an empty-netter with 13 seconds left to give him his third goal and his first hat trick in game No. 580 of his NHL career, including regular season and postseason.

“That surprises me. I thought he did have (a hat trick) before this. Pretty cool,” Makar said. “When he’s using his body right and skating well, a pretty special player to watch.”

Georgiev was on the hot seat after a shaky Game 1, but his confidence keeps surging with every big save. He stopped 26 shots in the matinee game.

Vezina Trophy-favorite Connor Hellebuyck continues to struggle in net. He allowed four goals on 30 shots before being replaced by Laurent Brossoit for the third period. Hellebuyck has surrendered 19 goals in the series.

“I don’t think those goals are his fault,” forward Mark Scheifele said of Hellebuyck. “He’s our backbone. He’s our heart and soul.”

Lehkonen and Nichushkin have both scored in all four games of the series. Makar had a goal and an assist Sunday to give him 73 points (18 goals, 55 assists) in 65 career playoff games. It’s the second-highest points per game average (1.12) by a defenseman in postseason history, behind only Bobby Orr (1.24).

Makar’s goal was a masterpiece as he took the puck deep in his zone, weaved through several Winnipeg defenders, found some open space and lined a shot past Hellebuyck.

“He’s the best for a reason,” teammate Casey Mittelstadt said of Makar. “That’s what he does.”

Nathan MacKinnon added two assists.

Nate Schmidt scored for Winnipeg.

There was a scary moment in the third period when Winnipeg forward Vladislav Namestnikov was hit in the left side of his face by a puck. Namestnikov was trying to jump out of the way of a shot from teammate Nate Schmidt when the puck hit a stick and struck him. Namestnikov stayed down on the ice as trainers rushed out. He skated off with help, a towel pressed to his head, and exited through the Avalanche bench. He was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

On Friday, Jets defenseman Brenden Dillon suffered a laceration on his hand after appearing to be cut by a skate blade during a scrum following the final horn in Colorado’s 6-2 win Friday.

The Jets committed four penalties in the second, helping the Avalanche break open the game with a three-goal period. Nichushkin cashed in by scoring a pair of power-play goals to give Colorado a 4-1 lead.

“We’ve got to change our game plan,” Nino Niederreiter said.

Jets coach Rick Bowness had another suggestion — stay out of the penalty box.

“The problems are self-inflicted,” Bowness said. “Penalties took us out of the game.”

Avalanche forward Nikolai Kovalenko made his NHL debut after being recalled from the Colorado Eagles of the American Hockey League. Kovalenko became the sixth Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques player to make his league debut in the postseason.

Kovalenko’s father, Andrei, was a member of the Avalanche when the team moved to Denver for the 1995-96 season. Andrei Kovalenko was part of the trade that helped the Avalanche acquire Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy from Montreal in December 1995.

This was a rare home playoff matinee game for the Avalanche. The last time they hosted an afternoon postseason contest was on April 17, 2004, against Dallas in Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. Colorado won 5-1.

No time to think about this win, though.

“Job’s not finished,” Lehkonen said.

————————-

Canucks 4, Predators 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brock Boeser had the best playoff game of his career at the perfect moment for the Vancouver Canucks.

Boeser had his first hat trick in the playoffs, then Elias Lindholm scored 1:02 into overtime as the Canucks stunned Nashville 4-3 on Sunday night grabbing a 3-1 lead to put the Predators on the brink of elimination in their best-of-seven, first-round series.

Lindolm beat goalie Juuse Saros over his stick with a wrister from just in front of the crease off a pass from Conor Garland.

“I was wide open right in front,” Lindholm said. “So, I mean, obviously we scored a goal and got kind of relief and a lot of emotions and lost my voice a little bit. But it’s a good feeling.”

Boeser scored on Vancouver’s first shot and got the Canucks into overtime scoring twice in the final 2:49. His third came with 8 seconds left in regulation to quiet a Nashville crowd that celebrated much of the third period. Boeser said he knew time was ticking down after he hit the post and had the puck again.

“I just kind of saw an opportunity like to jam it and just try it, and it worked,” Boeser said.

J.T. Miller had three assists. The Canucks now will have a chance to advance Tuesday night in Vancouver in Game 5.

Filip Forsberg, Gustav Nyquist and Mark Jankowski all scored for Nashville, which also blew a 2-1 lead losing Game 1 giving up three goals in the third period. It was the first time the Predators lost a playoff game leading by two or more goals in the third period in franchise history.

“We just kind of broke down and lost a little composure there in the end,” Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said.

The Canucks won with Arturs Silovs making 27 saves in his NHL playoff debut as their third different starting goalie.

“He made some big saves for us tonight, and he’s a huge part of our win,” Boeser said.

The sixth-round pick in the 2019 draft from Riga, Latvia, replaced Casey DeSmith, who got his first postseason win Friday night in Game 2. He took over in net for All-Star Thatcher Demko who is week-to-week after winning Game 1.

The Canucks became only the second team in NHL history with three different goalies to win each of their first three games in a postseason. Vancouver also did it during the 2004 Western quarterfinals with Dan Cloutier in Game 1, Johan Hedberg in Game 3 and Alex Auld in Game 6.

Chicago in the 1972 quarterfinals was the only other team in NHL history with three different goalies to win a game at any point in a series. Tony Esposito won Game 1, Gary Smith took Game 3 and Gerry Desjardins was in net for Game 4.

This felt much more like a Smashville playoff game with Little Big Town handling the national anthem in style followed by seven catfish hitting the ice before the puck dropped.

Will Levis, quarterback of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, also helped ramp up the home crowd. His new center Lloyd Cushenberry III snapped a catfish to Levis on the band stand, and the quarterback kissed the fish.

Boeser put Vancouver up 1-0 with a wrister just 2:55 in from the front edge of the left circle for his second goal in as many games. Jankowski got his stick on Jeremy Lauzon’s slap shot and tied it up for Nashville at 5:34 with the teams skating 4-on-4.

Nyquist put Nashville up 2-1 at 5:21 of the second, finishing off a 2-on-1 with a wrister from the right circle for his first goal in this series. Forsberg seemed to clinch the win with captain Roman Josi’s pass going off his right skate 12 seconds into the third until Vancouver’s late rally.

Josi called it a “crazy ending.” The Canucks won their first playoff game when trailing by at least two goals in the third since Game 1 of the second round in 2003 against Minnesota. They trailed 3-1 and also won that game 4-3 in overtime.

“It’s a tough ending,” Josi said. “It doesn’t happen too often, but that’s hockey.”

—————–

Josi, who tied retired goalie Pekka Rinne with his 89th career playoff game for most in Predators’ history, took a puck off his right ear in the first period. An official sent him off the ice for stitches. Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers took a puck in the face late in the first. Both returned in the second.

—————–

UP NEXT

The Canucks can win their first playoff series since 2020 during the pandemic and first on home ice since the 2011 Western Conference final.

___

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl