WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Adam Lowry, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor all scored in a span of 3:21 in the third period to help the Winnipeg Jets beat Colorado 4-1 on Sunday night, handing the Avalanche their season-high fourth straight loss.
Nikolaj Ehlers also scored a late third-period goal for the Jets, who halted a four-game losing skid.
J.T. Compher scored early in the third period for the Avalanche, who have lost all four of those games in regulation.
Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves for Winnipeg in his 65th game of the season and 380th with the team. That set a franchise record (Atlanta/Winnipeg) for games played by a goaltender, one more than Ondrej Pavelec.
Darcy Kuemper stopped 40 shots for the Central Division champions and top seed in the Western Conference.
Both clubs had chances on the power play in the first and second periods.
Colorado had the game’s first man-advantage 5:23 into the opening period, but couldn’t manage a shot on goal.
The Jets got a shorthanded opportunity to score when Connor intercepted the puck after a bad Avalanche pass attempt, but he was stopped by Kuemper on a partial breakaway. Winnipeg led 6-1 on shots on goal at that point.
The second period featured a squandered power play by Colorado and a late rally by Winnipeg.
The Avalanche finally hit the back of the net at 5:03 of the third when Erik Johnson sent a quick pass to an open Compher, who beat Hellebuyck on the glove side.
Winnipeg soon responded with the trio of goals. A Josh Morrissey shot went off Lowry at 9:03, Wheeler got his stick on a bouncing puck and beat Kuemper at 10:23 and Connor notched his 45th goal of the season at 12:25 to make it 3-1.
Ehlers finished off the scoring with about four minutes left.
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Host St. Louis on Tuesday.
Jets: Host the Flyers on Wednesday as part of their season-ending four-game homestand.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
