By Canadian Press

Landeskog’s hat trick leads Avalanche to 7-1 win over Jets

Jan 6, 2022 | 10:25 PM

DENVER (AP) — Gabriel Landeskog had his fourth career hat trick and finished with four points to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 7-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night.

Landeskog scored twice in a three-goal second period for the surging Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and four assists, and Mikko Rantanen added a goal and two assists to give Colorado’s top line 12 points on the night.

The Avalanche have won 10 straight at home, three in a row coming off a seven-game COVID-19 pause, and are 16-3-1 since Nov. 6. They put 42 shots on Connor Hellebuyck, who made 35 saves.

It was Landeskog’s first hat trick since Oct. 18, 2018, at New Jersey. He capped it when he scored on Rantanen’s rebound at 17:10 of the third, his 13th of the season.

The Jets had their three-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the second time since interim coach Dave Lowry took over for Paul Maurice, who resigned abruptly on Dec. 17.

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Winnipeg won two road games coming out of the pause but ended the trip with Thursday’s loss.

The Jets took an early lead on Mark Scheifele’s power-play goal, his ninth of the season, just 2:56 into the game. Nazem Kadri tied it later in the first with his 12th of the season, and then the Avalanche took control in the second.

Landeskog gave Colorado the lead when he knocked in a rebound at 5:20, and Rantanen made it 3-1 midway through with his 16th of the season.

Landeskog got his second of the night when he scored off MacKinnon’s rebound at 15:21. Winnipeg put 15 shots on Darcy Kuemper in the third period but couldn’t get one past him. MacKinnon made it 5-1 with his fourth goal of the season at 12:17, and Bowen Byram scored his fifth at 19:49.

Kuemper had 34 saves.

NOTES: It was the first game between the Central Division rivals since Dec. 31, 2019, a 7-4 Winnipeg win in Denver. … Avalanche D Ryan Murray returned after missing the previous 11 games with a lower-body injury. He had not played since Nov. 27. He replaced D Jack Johnson in the lineup. Johnson sustained a lower-body injury Tuesday night in Chicago. … Before the game, Jets forward Jansen Harkins, defenseman Dylan DeMelo, goalie Arvid Holm and video coach Matt Prefontaine were placed in COVID-19 protocol. … Winnipeg also put David Gustafsson on injured reserve and activated forward Cole Perfetti from the taxi squad. Gustafsson sustained a lower-body injury in a 5-4 shootout win over Vegas on Sunday.

UP NEXT

Jets: Host the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.

Avalanche: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Michael Kelly, The Associated Press