The stingiest defense was no much for the strongest offense. Not in this version of the NHL. Not in 2024. And certainly not with the high-powered playoff performers that make up the Avalanche’s roster.

Following a 6-3 victory in Game 5 on Tuesday, Colorado eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in five games after losing Game 1. The Avs, led by Valeri Nichushkin’s seven goals, scored at least five goals in each game. And on three occasions, they had six.

It’s the most dominant a team has ever been through five games. Records were broken all around, including five-game goal-scoring streaks for Artturi Lehkonen and Nichushkin — the first pair of teammates to accomplish the feat in the same series. Lehkonen, a key cog of the second line with Casey Mittelstadt and Zach Parise, has given the Avs the secondary scoring they’ve struggled with all season.

And they were asked to carry the load offensively at times while top star winger Mikko Rantanen got things figured out. And he finally did, at perhaps the most opportune time.

With the game tied at 3-3 early in the third period, Rantanen got the series-clinching goal, redirecting a point shot from Devon Toews past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 4-3. And nearly four minutes later, Rantanen received a pass from star center Nathan MacKinnon on a 2-on-1 attack and put the dagger in the hearts of the Jets, making it 5-3 with just over half a period to play.

Josh Manson capped things off with an empty netter. And all three of these third-period goals came following Nichushkin and Lehkonen’s tallies. Yakov Trenin also scored for the Avs in the second period.

Star defenseman Cale Makar, Rantanen and MacKinnon all finished the series with nine points. They had matching stat lines of two goals and seven assists, each. Lehkonen had eight points, Nichushkin seven, Casey Mittelstadt six, and Toews and Manson both had five. The Avs are entering the second round with eight players producing at a point-per-game pace.

Not bad for a team going up against the likely Vezina Trophy winner and the only team in the league to surrender fewer than 200 goals.

Up next, the Avs await the winner of the Vegas and Dallas series. They two are currently tied at 2-2.