COLUMBUS, Ohio — 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.
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Homeless Union in Colorado Springs speaks out during cleanup operation
Multiple people experiencing homelessness talked on camera as the City of Colorado Springs executed a cleanup operation on Wednesday. The operation continues Thursday.
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