Casey Mittelstadt began the night with a demotion. He ended it the hero.
Mittelstadt’s first goal in 19 games helped the Avalanche defeat the division-leading Winnipeg Jets, 5-2, Tuesday night at Ball Arena. It was the Avs’ fifth win in a row and ninth in the past 11 contests.
The Jets played the night before and didn’t start 2024 Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, but backup Eric Comrie had a great outing in his place. The Avs began the night as healthy as they’ve been all season, which led to the recently slumping Mittelstadt starting the game as the center on the fourth line.
He made it a 3-2 advantage by re-directing a shot from Josh Manson, who had a pair of primary assists.
This was the first time Colorado’s top-10 offensive players were in the lineup together all season, but that bit of good health lasted less than 36 minutes.
Valeri Nichushkin did not play in the final 24:47 of this game after getting hit along the boards by Winnipeg’s Logan Stanley. Nichushkin appeared to be elbowed in the head, and he had some words for the nearest official as he went to the bench. The Avs said he was officially out with a lower-body injury.
Artturi Lehkonen put the Avalanche ahead midway through the opening period. He got position on Stanley in front of the Winnipeg net and was able to deflect a shot from the right point by Manson despite being checked to the ice at 11:51.
That was Lehkonen’s 14th goal in 26 games this season, and four in the past two contests after a hat trick in Salt Lake City four nights ago.
Colorado had several chances to extend the lead early in the second period, but couldn’t find a second goal and Winnipeg leveled the score on a counterattack. Juuso Parsinnen, acquired Saturday from Nashville, dumped the puck off the side boards while the Avs were going for a line change but didn’t get enough on it.
Jets defenseman Neil Pionk collected the puck and snapped it back in the other direction for a 2-on-2 where Rasmus Kupari had a clear advantage on Manson coming from the bench and directed a feed from Morgan Barron past Mackenzie Blackwood at 10:20 of the second.
Devon Toews has had some Grade-A chances to score in recent games but collected his second goal of the season at 16:37 on a fortunate bounce. Cale Makar hit Toews cutting to the net in the left circle. He whiffed on the first attempt but was able to get enough of the second for it to trickle through Comrie’s legs and across the goal line.
Gabe Vilardi brought Winnipeg back again late in the period. Stanley’s attempt to get the puck to the front of the net was deflected but still ended up bouncing right to Vilardi at the edge of the crease with 1:28 left in the second.
Colorado’s Ross Colton added an empty-netter to finish off the scoring.
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