COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Cale Makar scored to become just the ninth NHL defenseman with 30 goals in a season and the Colorado Avalanche clinched a playoff berth with a 7-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.
Makar also had two assists while Charlie Coyle, Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews also had a goal and two assists each for the Avalanche, who scored five straight times after falling behind 3-2 in the second period.
Miles Wood, Parker Kelly and Brock Nelson also scored for Colorado while Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves.
Sean Monahan, Zachary Aston-Reese and Boone Jenner scored for the Blue Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins made 21 saves before being lifted with about 14 minutes to play.
Takeaways
The Avalanche secured a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs with the win, their second in two nights after beating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 in a shootout on Wednesday.
The Blue Jackets needed a win to stay close in the chase for an Eastern Conference wild card, but the loss coupled with Montreal’s win over Boston put them four points behind the Canadiens.
Key moment
After Jenner extended his points streak to six games with a second-period goal that gave Columbus a 3-2 lead, Coyle and Kelly scored just 1:23 apart later in the period to give Colorado the lead for good.
Key stat
With his goal, Makar became just the ninth NHL defenseman and first since Washington’s Mike Green in the 2008-2009 season to reach the 30-goal mark in a season. Makar put the Avalanche up 5-2 by scoring a power-play goal with 38 seconds left in the second period.
Columbus forward Zach Aston-Reese scored his fifth goal of the season and first since Nov. 15 — a span of 58 games.
Up next
The Avalanche finish a three-game road trip at the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night. The Blue Jackets visit the Toronto Maple Leafs, also on Saturday night.
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