Nichushkin logged a goal and an assist in Tuesday's 4-3 Game 1 overtime win over the Stars.
Nichushkin got the Avs on the board 5:31 into the second period on the power play, sliding a loose puck past Jake Oettinger before adding a second point on the man advantage with an assist on Cale Makar's tally later in the frame. Nichushkin's been on fire to start the playoffs, scoring in six straight games while totaling eight goals and nine points overall. The 29-year-old winger tallied 28 goals and 53 points, both career highs, in 53 regular-season contests.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Tallies in Tuesday's win
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Nichushkin scored a goal, added three hits and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Jets in Game 5.
Nichushkin was locked in during the first round, scoring seven times on 17 shots over five contests. He's picked up nine goals across six appearances dating back to the regular-season finale. Nichushkin should remain in a position to put up goals if he sticks on the top line heading into the second round.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Scores hat trick
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Nichushkin scored three goals on five shots in Sunday's 5-1 Game 4 win over the Jets.
Nichushkin deposited two power-play goals in the second period to give the Avalanche a 4-1 lead going into the third period. He added an empty-net goal late in the third frame for the hat trick, and Sunday's trio of tallies brings Nichushkin up to six goals in the playoffs. The 29-year-old winger added two hits, three blocked shots, five shots on net and a plus-2 rating in 22:28 of ice time. Including the regular season, Nichushkin is on a six-game point streak, scoring eight goals and one assist over that span.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Finds twine on power play
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Nichushkin scored a power-play goal on three shots in Friday's 6-2 win over the Jets in Game 3.
Nichushkin has scored a goal in each of the Avalanche's first three playoff contests this year, and he's added 11 shots on net, seven hits and a minus-1 rating. Dating back to the regular season, the winger has five goals and an assist during a five-game point streak. He was on the top line Friday and should remain productive in that role if he stays there, though Zach Parise has also gotten looks in that spot.
Nichushkin scored an empty-net goal on five shots, added two hits and blocked two shots in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Jets in Game 2.
Nichushkin had to work for the empty-netter, earning his fifth point over his last four outings. The 29-year-old winger started the contest on the second line but saw some shifts on the first unit as well when Zach Parise got shuffled down the lineup. Nichushkin can provide solid offense as long as he's in the top six, and he's also a good source of hits with five over the first two contests of the postseason.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Scores early in loss
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Nichushkin scored a goal on three shots, added two PIM and doled out three hits in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Jets in Game 1.
Nichushkin has scored three times over the last two games. His goal set the Avalanche off on the right foot Sunday, but they couldn't keep pace with an opportunistic attack from the Jets. Nichushkin racked up a career-high 28 goals with 25 helpers, 158 shots on net and 74 hits over 54 regular-season appearances and should be a top-six fixture during the postseason.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Two goals to wrap up campaign
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Nichushkin scored a pair of goals in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Oilers.
Nichushkin opened the scoring 1:19 into the first period, one-timing an Artturi Lehkonen feed in the slot. Nichushkin added a second tally on a power play later in the frame. The 29-year-old Nichushkin had just one assist in his previous five contests since returning from a four-game absence with a lower-body injury. He'll finish the regular season with 28 goals and 53 points, both new career highs, across 54 games. Nichushkin will likely open the playoffs on the second line with Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt, though he could see time on the top unit if Jonathan Drouin (undisclosed) is forced to miss any time.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Back in action
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Nichushkin (lower body) will play Friday against Edmonton, per the NHL's media site.
Nichushkin is set to return following a four-game absence. The 29-year-old winger tallied eight points in eight games after returning from the Player Assistance Program before missing time due to the injury. On the year, he has 26 goals and 50 points through 48 appearances.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Possible return Friday
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Nichushkin (lower body) will not play Thursday against Minnesota but it's possible he will play Friday against Edmonton, per Corey Masisak of The Denver Post.
Nichushkin has missed the past three games because of the injury -- he's played 48 games this season, recording 26 goals and 24 assists. The 29-year-old will likely be slotted into the first or second line when he returns to action. He will likely also jump onto the No. 1 power-play unit when he returns -- he's picked up 15 of his 26 goals with the man advantage this season.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Might be available for Friday
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Nichushkin (lower body) will link up with the Avalanche on the road and might make his return Friday versus Edmonton, Avalanche play-by-play announcer Conor McGahey reports Wednesday.
Nichushkin will meet up with the Avalanche in Minnesota, but he isn't expected to participate in Thursday's contest against the Wild. Still, this is an encouraging sign for the 29-year-old forward, who last played March 26. He has 26 goals and 50 points in 48 outings this season. When Nichushkin does rejoin the lineup, Jonathan Drouin might slide off the top line.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Won't travel to start trip
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Nichushkin (lower body) won't travel with the Avalanche at the start of their three-game road trip, Ryan Boulding of NHL.com reports.
Nichushkin hasn't been ruled out for the whole trip, but he won't play Monday in Columbus. He will resume skating in Denver and may link up with the Avalanche later in the trip, which also includes stops Thursday in Minnesota and Friday in Edmonton.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Not playing Saturday
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Nichushkin (lower body) won't play Saturday against the Predators, per Ryan Boulding of NHL.com.
Nichushkin will miss second straight contest. In 48 appearances this season, he has racked up 26 goals, 50 points, 147 shots on net and 64 hits. Brandon Duhaime is slated to play on the second line again in Saturday's matchup because of Nichushkin's absence.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Ruled out against Rangers
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Nichushkin (lower body) will not play in Thursday's matchup with the Rangers, Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Gazette reports.
Nichushkin has played in just eight games since returning from the Player Assistance Program. In those eight outings, the 29-year-old winger has notched four goals and four assists, including four power-play points. Zach Parise should be a candidate for Nichushkin's second-line role against New York.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Tacks on goal
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Nichushkin scored a goal on two shots and went plus-2 in Friday's 6-1 win over the Blue Jackets.
Nichushkin tallied the Avalanche's sixth goal in Friday's blowout win. The winger has four goals and four assists over his last six outings as he continues to thrive on the top line. For the season, Nichushkin has racked up 26 goals, 50 points, 142 shots on net, 62 hits and a plus-12 rating through 46 outings. He's two points shy of matching his career high from 2021-22.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Rolling since return
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Nichushkin logged a power-play and even-strength assist, one shot on net, two blocks and two penalty minutes in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Blues.
Nichushkin continued his roll since returning from a personal leave of absence. The winger has points in four of five games following his reinstatement, including three goals and four assists, helping extend Colorado's winning streak to seven games. He's skating on the top line and is a staple of the top power-play unit, which puts Nichushkin in position to establish a new career high in points. The 29-year-old, who has 49 points, needs four more over the final 13 contests to set a new personal benchmark.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Heads-up play in overtime win
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Nichushkin scored a power-play goal, added three hits and went minus-2 in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canucks.
A Nathan MacKinnon shot caromed off Nichushkin's visor and into the net 30 seconds into the extra session. This was Nichushkin's third straight game with a goal since he rejoined the Avalanche after a personal leave. The 29-year-old winger has 25 tallies, 47 points, 135 shots on net, 59 hits and a plus-10 rating through 43 contests overall. He's scored 15 of his goals on the power play and should continue to feature on the Avalanche's top man-advantage unit.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Puts up three more points
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Nichushkin scored a goal on four shots, supplied two assists and went plus-3 in Tuesday's 6-2 win over the Flames.
Nichushkin set up goals by Mikko Rantanen (on the power play) and Nathan MacKinnon before scoring one of his own. With four points over two games since he returned from the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Nichushkin has settled right back in on the Avalanche's top line. The winger has 24 tallies, 22 assists, 134 shots on net, 56 hits and a plus-12 rating over 42 outings this season. Even with his absence, he has a good chance to top his career high of 52 points from the 2021-22 campaign.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Triumphant return to lineup
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Nichushkin scored the overtime winner in Friday's 2-1 victory over the Wild.
Back in the lineup for the first time since Jan. 10, Nichushkin parked himself in front of the net on an Avs power play in OT, calmly settled down a bouncing puck and tucked it inside the post past Filip Gustavsson. Nichushkin missed 22 games after entering the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. While he did get eased back into action to some extent -- his 17:48 TOI was his lowest since early November -- the fact that he was on the ice for an overtime power play speaks volumes about his importance to the Avalanche. Through 41 contests on the season, the 29-year-old winger has 23 goals and 43 points.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Ready to rock
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Nichushkin (personal) will return to the lineup Friday versus Minnesota, per Marc Moser of Altitude Sports 950.
Nichushkin has missed the last 22 games while in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. He will resume his role as a top-six forward -- he'll likely line up with Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin on the second line. The 29-year-old Nichushkin has racked up 22 goals and 42 points, including 13 goals and three assists with the man advantage, in 40 games this season.
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Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Unlikely to return Wednesday
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Nichushkin (personal) isn't expected to play Wednesday versus Detroit but might be available for Friday's game against Minnesota, per Brennan Vogt of The-Rink.com.
Nichushkin, who has been in the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, was cleared to resume practicing Monday. He was last in the lineup Jan. 10. When Nichushkin resumes playing, he will likely serve in a top-six capacity and play on the first power-play unit. The 29-year-old has 22 goals and 42 points in 40 appearances in 2023-24.
