Colorado Avalanche bury Winnipeg Jets' playoff dreams with 6-3 win in Game 5

Mikko Rantanen's first two goals of the playoffs propelled the Colorado Avalanche to a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday that clinched their opening-round playoff series in five games.

Rantanen, who also picked up an assist, scored twice in a span of just under four minutes early in the third period to snap a 3-3 tie.

Valeri Nichushkin, Yakov Trenin, Artturi Lehkonen and Josh Manson, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews each picked up a pair of assists.

"That's the best hockey we've played for five games in a row all season long," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "And that's what it takes this time of year, and that's partly our experience, I think."

The Jets became the first Canadian team knocked out of the playoffs after they lost the final four games of the best-of-seven Western Conference series, duplicating their exit in last season's opening round against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Jets players stayed on the ice after handshakes and saluted their whiteout crowd at Canada Life Centre with raised sticks.

"In the (last) two years, that's by far the best playoff game we've played," Jets coach Rick Bowness said. "It didn't go our way tonight. Couple goals went in off of us. We had some chances that we didn't score.

"Where was that in the first four games? That's a question we're going to have to answer ourselves over the course of the summer."

Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves for Colorado, which plays the winner of the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights series in the second round.

It was the first time Colorado and Winnipeg met in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Jets had finished the regular season in second place in the Central Division, three points up on