It’s a years-long trend since he arrived in Denver and had a breakout season when the Avs won the Stanley Cup. Just in the years since the title, Colorado is 89-30-10 during the regular season when Nichushkin plays and 46-43-6 when he doesn’t.

Valeri Nichushkin is going to return Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils. He’s been out since Dec. 31 with a lower-body injury. He’s expected to start on the second line and the second power-play unit.

Valeri Nichushkin made an immediate impact in his return to the Avalanche lineup on Wednesday, and our NHL player prop picks expect more of the same vs. the Wild on Friday night.

Valeri Nichushkin returns to the Colorado Avalanche lineup Wednesday night for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a lower-body injury.

Colton scored his second goal of the game and 15th of the season with an empty-net tally at 19:52 of the third period to give the Avs a 5-2 lead. With the secondary assist on the goal, Blackwood picked up his first point with the Avalanche.

DENVER (AP) — Jonathan Drouin and Jack Drury scored 52 seconds apart in a three-goal second period and the Colorado Avalanche beat weary Minnesota 5-2 on Friday night to pull even with the third-place Wild in the Central Division.

It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday ... sending back toward the Devils goal line with a backhanded swat. Jonathan Drouin was there to stop the puck, kick it ...

DENVER — Valeri Nichushkin returns to the Colorado Avalanche ... “There are so many things he does with that frame of his,” forward Jonathan Drouin said of Nichushkin.