Gabriel Landeskog scores hat trick as Avalanche bury Jets

[January 07, 2022] Gabriel Landeskog got his first hat trick in three seasons and added an assist, Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and four assists, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 7-1 in Denver on Thursday night.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists, Nazem Kadri and Bowen Byram also scored, Erik Johnson and Andre Burakovsky had two assists each and Darcy Kuemper stopped 34 shots for the Avalanche, who have won three straight overall and 10 in a row at home.

Mark Scheifele had a goal and Connor Hellebuyck had 35 saves for Winnipeg. The Jets had their three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 3-2 under interim head coach Dave Lowry.

Winnipeg jumped ahead early with a power-play goal. Andrew Copp took a shot from the point that Kuemper saved, but the rebound deflected to Scheifele in the left circle, and he buried it under Kuemper's right blocker 1-0 at 2:56 of the first.

It was his ninth of the season.

Colorado got the equalizer later in the first period when Kadri deflected Johnson's shot from the blueline past Hellebuyck at 16:20. It was his 12th of the season.

The Avalanche struck again on their second power-play opportunity of the game. Pierre Luc-Dubois was called for interference for his hit on Kadri; and, 34 seconds later, Landeskog tapped in a Rantanen shot to make it 2-1 at 5:20.

Winnipeg Jets left wing Pierre-Luc Dubois (80) and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews (7) battle for the puck during the first period at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Leyba-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado padded its lead later in the second when Landeskog won an offensive zone faceoff to MacKinnon, who put a sharp-angle shot on goal. Hellebuyck made the save, but Rantanen knocked in the rebound at 10:28. It was his team-leading 16th of the season.

Nearly five minutes later, MacKinnon took a shot from the point and Landeskog scored on the rebound at 15:21.

MacKinnon made it 5-1 with his fourth goal of the season at 12:17 of the third and, Landeskog got his third of the night and 13th of the season at 17:10. Byram's fifth goal of the season, at 19:49, capped the scoring.

--Field Level Media

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