Sunday’s playoff games

Avalanche 5, Jets 1: Valeri Nichushkin had three goals for his first career hat trick, and the host Avalanche took a commanding 3-1 firstround series lead.

Colorado has won the last three games to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference bestof-seven series, with Game 5 on Tuesday night in Winnipeg. The Avalanche have outscored Winnipeg 16-5 since losing the first game, 7-6.

Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen each had a goal and an assist, Nathan MacKinnon had two assists and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 25 shots for Colorado.

Nate Schmidt scored for the Jets, who are on the brink of elimination. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck continued to struggle, allowing four goals on 30 shots before being replaced by Laurent Brossoit to start the third period.

Brossoit had four saves on four shots. Winnipeg center Vladislav Namestnikov was helped off the ice with 13:03 left after Schmidt’s slap shot from the point hit him in the head. The Jets were already without defenseman Brenden Dillon, who was scratched due to a cut on his hand suffered in the scrum after time expired in Game 3 on Friday night.

Canucks 4, Predators 3 (OT): Elias Lindholm scored at 1:02 of overtime to lift the visiting Canucks to a 3-1 series lead.

Lindholm scored from the front of the net off a behind-the-net pass from Conor Garland.

Brock Boeser had a hat trick, and Arturs Silovs made 27 saves for the Canucks. The 23year-old goalie started in place of Casey DeSmith, who did not dress because of an undisclosed injury.

With Silovs pulled for the extra attacker, Boeser connected on a cross-crease pass from

Elias Lindholm to cut it to 3-2 at 17:11 of the third period, and he completed the hat trick from the side of the net to tie it 3-3 at 19:52.

Mark Jankowski, Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg scored for the Predators. Juuse Saros made 16 saves.

The former Red Wing Nyquist put the Predators ahead 2-1 at 5:21 of the second period. Ryan O’Reilly collected a rebound in the corner in the defensive zone and sent a stretch pass to Nyquist in the neutral zone to create a 2-on-1.

Forsberg made it 3-1 Nashville 12 seconds into the third period. Roman Josi sent the rebound of his own shot down low through the crease to Forsberg on the other side, where he easily deposited it into the net.

It was the fastest goal to start a period in Predators postseason history.