Avalanche on Brink of Stanley Cup Final After Game 5 Win

Nichushkin's Hat Trick Powers Colorado Past Jets

Winnipeg Faces Elimination in Game Six

The Colorado Avalanche took a commanding 3-2 lead in their Western Conference Final series against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night, winning Game 5 by a score of 5-2. The victory was powered by a hat trick from forward Valeri Nichushkin, who now has five goals in the series. The Jets came out strong in the first period, taking an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Mark Scheifele. However, the Avalanche responded with two goals of their own in the second period, both assisted by Cale Makar. Nichushkin tied the game at 1-1 just over five minutes into the period, and then gave Colorado the lead with a power-play goal at 13:29. The Avalanche extended their lead to 3-1 in the third period on a goal from Andre Burakovsky. Nichushkin completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal in the final minute of the game. The Jets now face elimination in Game 6, which will be played in Winnipeg on Thursday night. The Avalanche will be looking to close out the series and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2001.