DENVER -- Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal at 7:22 of the third period, and the Colorado Avalanche extended their winning streak to five games with a 5-2 victory against the Winnipeg Jets at Ball Arena on Tuesday.

Casey Mittelstadt ended a 19-game scoring drought with a tiebreaking goal in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche beat the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets 5-2.

Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as the Colorado Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 in ... Nathan MacKinnon got the assist for his NHL-best 61st point. Ross Colton added another empty-net goal at 19:53 to cap the scoring.

The Avalanche beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Tuesday at Ball Arena to improve to 23-15-0 on the season. Artturi Lehkonen, Devon Toews, and Casey Mittelstadt were the first three goal-scorers for Colorado while Mikko Rantanen and Ross Colton added empty-net tallies.

Winnipeg Jets’ Nino Niederreiter (62) and Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon (29) collide during their last matchup Nov. 7. The Jets won 1-0. (John Woods/The Canadian Press files)

The Winnipeg Jets won their fourth game in a row with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Predators on Monday night and are right back in action on New Year’s Eve. Kyle Connor has been terrific this season, and my Jets vs. Avalanche predictions and NHL picks expect the winger to stay hot on December 31.

Pregame analysis and predictions of the Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche NHL game to be played on December 31, 2024 on ESPN.

Casey Mittelstadt began the night with a demotion. He ended it the hero. Mittelstadt’s first goal in 19 games helped the Avalanche defeat the division-leading Winnipeg Jets, 4-2, Tuesday night at Ball Arena.