The Colorado Avalanche officially clinched a Stanley Cup playoff berth with a dominating 7-3 win over the host Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night.

Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, Cale Makar and Charlie Coyle each scored a goal and added two assists for the Avalanche (47-26-4, 98 points), who have points in three straight and 16 of their last 18 (14-2-2).

Miles Wood added a goal and an assist, while Brock Nelson and Parker Kelly also scored for Colorado.

Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves.

Sean Monahan, Zach Aston-Reese and Boone Jenner responded for the Blue Jackets (34-31-9, 77 points).

Elvis Merzlikins allowed seven goals on 28 shots, and Daniil Tarasov stopped four shots in relief.

Trailing 2-1, Aston-Reese banked a shot off Blackwood and in from the goal line at 4:16 of the middle frame to tie it 2-2.

Columbus took its first lead at 7:56 of the second, as Jenner tapped in a loose puck in the slot for his sixth of the season.

Coyle tied it 3-3 at 12:39 of the second, snapping a shot blocker-side past Merzlikins for his first as a member of the Avalanche.

Colorado took a 4-3 lead as Kelly one-timed a Jack Drury feed up and over the glove of Merzlikins at 14:02.

Makar gave Colorado a 5-3 lead with 37.4 seconds remaining in the second period, one-timing a MacKinnon pass past Merzlikins for his 30th of the season. Makar became just the ninth defenseman in NHL history to reach the 30-goal mark.

Toews put a wrist shot past a screened Merzlikins at 4:01 of the third.

Colorado took a 7-3 lead at 5:49 of the third as Wood one-timed a Coyle feed past Merzlikins, ending the Blue Jackets’ goaltender’s night.

Columbus out-shot Colorado 12-10 in the first period, but it was the Avalanche with a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.

MacKinnon opened the scoring at 3:25 of the first, putting a shot five-hole past Merzlikins.

Monahan responded for Columbus, banging home the rebound off Dante Fabbro’s point shot at 6:35.

Colorado retook the lead with 1:55 remaining in the first as Nelson put the rebound off Makar’s point shot past Merzlikins.

Jonathan Drouin missed Thursday’s contest after leaving Wednesday’s 3-2 shootout win in Chicago with a lower-body injury. Martin Necas also did not play in Columbus. Wood and Jimmy Vesey replaced the forwards in Colorado’s lineup.

–Field Level Media