Series: Artturi Lehkonen scored in the first four games

The Western Conference playoffs are very tight this year.

All four series in this conference were 2-1 in favor of one team, prior to Sunday’s games.

This afternoon, we were treated to Game 4 between the Colorado Avalanche and the Winnipeg Jets.

The Avalanche led the series 2-1 going into the match-up, and Jared Bednar’s team had one mission in mind: to push the Winnipeg Jets to the brink.

Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen, formerly of the Montreal Canadiens, is very useful in this series, as is Russia’s Valeri Nichushkin.

Lehky is known for getting up in the playoffs.

Just think of the famous winning goal on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day in 2021 with the Habs, or his great usefulness during the conquest of the Avalanche in 2022.

He and Nichushkin have scored in every game of this series, and they had no intention of stopping there for Game #4.

Lehkonen was the first to register in this game with his fourth goal in as many games in the series.

In the second period, the Avalanche opened the scoring to make it 4-1.

Cale Makar decided to take matters into his own hands. I’ll do it myself,” he said.

No, but what a goal.

Makar is renowned for being extremely offensive. He creates scoring opportunities almost every time he gets the puck.

He really is from another planet.

Interestingly, only four defensemen since 2005 have more playoff points than Makar. Makar made his debut in 2019…

And it has to be said that the other defensemen ahead of him have plenty of playoff experience.

As for Nichushkin, he scored two goals in the second period, making him the team’s leading scorer.

He completed his hat-trick in an empty net late in the game for his 6th goal of the playoffs, putting him second on the team’s all-time scoring list, ahead of Steven Stamkos (5 goals).

The game ended 5-1 to the Avalanche.

Nichushkin and Lehkonen became the third duo in playoff history to have a sequence of four consecutive games with a goal to start the first playoff round.

If Lehkonen or Nichushkin score in the next game, it would be the first time an Avalanche/Nordic franchise player has started the playoffs with a goal in each of his first five games since Michel Goulet in 1985.

The two players are definitely doing an excellent job, providing incredible support for Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen.

In gusto

– Connor McDavid is acting like a true captain. And rightly so.

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– What a catch.

Springer in the field, he’s amazing! @BlueJays https://t.co/788ppH9yXr

– Jeremy Filosa (@JeremyFilosa) April 28, 2024

– That Sarah Nurse is as efficient as ever.