Latest news with #Nichushkin
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Stars hold off Avalanche in overtime to take 2-1 series lead: Takeaways
Despite featuring 11 20-goal scorers, including two of the 10 most efficient postseason producers in NHL history, Game 3 of the first-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars was all about the defense, as both teams struggled to find any open ice with which to work any offensive magic. These are two of the most playoff-experienced teams in the league, and they looked the part, playing smart, conservative counter-punch hockey — the kind you typically see in the conference final and Stanley Cup Final, not the more wide-open first round. Advertisement From the moment Gabriel Landeskog stepped on the ice for warmups, Ball Arena was rocking, but the joy gave way to excruciating tension as the game went on — all the way until Tyler Seguin scored off a Mason Marchment feed at 5:31 of overtime to give the Stars a 2-1 win and a 2-1 series lead. Dallas appeared doomed when Marchment caught Brock Nelson with a high-stick, drawing blood, with 39.5 seconds left in regulation. But the Stars killed off the four-minute double-minor, with defenseman Esa Lindell making a glove save on Artturi Lehkonen at the tail end of the power play to keep the game going. Two minutes later, Mikko Rantanen out-muscled Jonathan Drouin to get the puck out of the defensive zone and spring Marchment, who held off Devon Toews before turning and feeding Seguin from below the goal line. Marchment sets up Seguin for the overtime-winner — Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 24, 2025 This was the Stars' second straight overtime victory, and they have the series lead despite leading for just 62 seconds of the series. Despite all the emotion and energy in the rink with Gabriel Landeskog's stirring return to action after nearly three years away, Colorado started quite slowly. Five minutes into the game, the Stars were in total control, up 4-0 in shots and owning the puck. When Ryan Lindgren was sent to the box for cross-checking Wyatt Johnston at 6:28, Dallas appeared poised to really take over. But a fateful call changed the complexion of the game. Seventeen seconds into the power play, Mikko Rantanen was called for tripping Valeri Nichushkin. Replays showed Nichushkin fell on his own, and that Rantanen's stick never touched him. But in the ensuing four-on-four action, Nichushkin scored a beauty of a goal — stickhandling his way through the offensive zone, wheeling back, and then making a sudden 180 in the high slot. Dallas defenseman Thomas Harley, who had been with Nichushkin every step of the way, ran into a pick from Brock Nelson and Nichushkin had an instant breakaway, going out wide to tuck the puck around Jake Oettinger's skate. Just like that, it was Colorado that had the lead, not Dallas. Advertisement The Stars still dominated the period from there — out-attempting the Avs 20-9 and out-chancing them 7-4 at five-on-five — but MacKenzie Blackwood stopped all 13 shots he faced to send Colorado into the locker room with a 1-0 lead. Landeskog wasted no time getting himself into the action, stepping into and leveling old pal Mikko Rantanen 28 seconds into the game. 'That was a nice hit,' Rantanen told ESPN's Leah Hextall during the second intermission. As expected, Landeskog's minutes were limited, but he wasn't shy when he was out there. In 11:38 of ice time in regulation, he was credited with a team-high six hits. He didn't have any shot attempts, but per Natural Stat Trick, the Avalanche out-attempted the Stars 18-5 and out-chanced them 7-1 with Landeskog on the ice. Landeskog making an impact on his first shift, with a big hit on former teammate Rantanen — Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 24, 2025 Blackwood has been one of the early stories of the series with his strong play in his postseason debut, but Dallas' Jake Oettinger entered the chat in Game 3. While the Avalanche didn't throw a ton of rubber at him early on, they made up in quality what they lacked in quantity. In the second period alone, Oettinger made a huge save on Brock Nelson in front, turned aside a Logan O'Connor breakaway, and stopped a hard-charging Nathan MacKinnon in the final minute. As the action ratcheted up in the third, Oettinger stood tall, stopping all 12 shots he faced. Jake Oettinger reaching with the inside of the blocker! — Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) April 24, 2025 It was his best game of the series yet, which surely would come as no surprise to Stars coach Pete DeBoer. 'Jake has an ability to raise his level this time of year; he's shown that,' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said at the start of the series. 'And he's going to have to do that again for us. That's what elite goalies have to do this time of year. The thing I've always admired about Jake is as the games have gotten more important in the series, the deeper into the series it goes, the more his game rises. Hopefully he comes out of the gate at the really high level we expect him to. But I also know he has that in his bag as the temperature goes up and the series goes deeper, he gets better.' Advertisement Colorado's disciplined defense frustrated Dallas for the first two periods, but the Stars finally get their chance on the power play in the third — well, chances. After a terrific Avalanche kill of an Artturi Lehkonen holding penalty on Thomas Harley, Dallas went right back to the power play at 9:08 of the third when MacKinnon got his stick caught in Game 2 hero Colin Blackwell's skates. Nine seconds into the power play, Stars captain Jamie Benn redirected a Thomas Harley shot/pass past Blackwood for the equalizer. It was the 28th playoff goal of Jamie Benn's career, who is 23rd among active players with 79 career postseason points in 105 games. It was also his first goal in 20 games, dating back to March 8. Mikko Rantanen is ninth all-time in postseason points per game at 1.22 — just behind Mike Bossy and just ahead of Jari Kurri. But he's still looking for his first point of this series. After getting knocked down by Landeskog, he later whiffed on a scoring chance after Mikael Granlund forced a Nathan MacKinnon turnover midway through the first. But Rantanen looked good from there, firing five shots on goal and routinely getting to the front of the Colorado net. Shots are fine. But goals are better. And the Stars need goals. 'Couple good looks in the first and second period to score, just gotta stay with it, not get frustrated,' Rantanen told Hextall. 'Not a lot of room out there five-on-five. When the chances come, you've got to try to bury them. Hopefully I can do a better job with that.' Rantanen did pick up his first point of the series — and it was a big one — on Seguin's game-winner. The Avalanche got their long-awaited return. Will the Stars get theirs? Miro Heiskanen, who hasn't played since late January after having knee surgery, once again participated in the morning skate on Wednesday. Before Game 2, he was mostly working on his own during the skate. Before Game 3, he rotated in for some power-play work. Advertisement With an extra day off before Saturday night's Game 4, perhaps Heiskanen could be available. 'We're incorporating him more and more into things, he's looking more and more comfortable,' Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. 'Yeah, I would say he's getting closer, for sure.'
Washington Post
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Nichushkin's personal life is in a 'good spot' ahead of Avalanche-Stars playoff series, coach says
DENVER — Valeri Nichushkin took strides to take his hard-checking, goal-scoring game to another level this season. Same with his life away from the rink , his Colorado Avalanche teammates, coach and GM maintain. It was nearly a year ago against the Dallas Stars when Nichushkin was suspended for six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The announcement came just before Game 4 of the second-round series, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger from Russia was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice.
Fox Sports
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Nichushkin's personal life is in a 'good spot' ahead of Avalanche-Stars playoff series, coach says
Associated Press DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin took strides to take his hard-checking, goal-scoring game to another level this season. Same with his life away from the rink, his Colorado Avalanche teammates, coach and GM maintain. It was nearly a year ago against the Dallas Stars when Nichushkin was suspended for six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The announcement came just before Game 4 of the second-round series, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger from Russia was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice. Nichushkin and the Avalanche are facing the Stars — the team that drafted him in 2013 — in a first-round series that starts Saturday in Dallas. 'His personal life's in a really good spot,' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team boarded a plane for Dallas. 'I'm just really happy for him and proud that he put in the work." Added teammate Logan O'Connor: "Anyone that goes through that personal adversity, it's hard not to root for them. The comeback he's had has been remarkable. To play at the level he has, it's definitely something that guys are proud of for him, and we certainly root for him all the time.' When in the lineup, the 30-year-old Nichushkin has been a valuable piece for the Avalanche. The team is 224-79-29 all-time when he plays. But he's missed the past two playoff losses for off-the-ice issues. Earlier this week, general manager Chris MacFarland was asked about potential trust issues given what's transpired with Nichushkin. "I've got the utmost confidence and faith in Val,' MacFarland said. 'I look at what he's done on the ice and what he's had to go through, and again, have the utmost faith in him that he's in a great place, and he'll continue to to grind it out here for us and be a good player.' Nichushkin missed the opening 17 games because of the suspension before making his season debut on Nov. 15 against Washington. He's banged up, too, and sidelined for 21 games due to a lower-body injury. Still, he finished with 21 goals and 13 assists in averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Nichushkin is a 'forechecking machine,' according to defenseman Erik Johnson, and contributes on special teams. He had his first regular-season hat trick last month. 'Just a player everyone needs but not everybody has,' Johnson said of Nichushkin, who was an integral part of Colorado winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. 'We're luck to have him.' It was a blow for the Avalanche losing him against the Stars. Colorado went on to lose the series in six games. This after Nichushkin abruptly left the team in a 2023 first-round playoff series against Seattle for what was described as personal reasons. He missed the final five games of that postseason as the Avalanche lost the series 4-3. 'He took the right necessary steps to get in a healthy place. We had his back the whole time,' O'Connor said. "He's been awesome. I think he's really improved on his own well-being, and he's opened up more. As a locker room, we maybe weren't doing as good of a job making him feel open before that as well. It's collectively been really healthy this year. You've seen the results on the ice, and we're really proud of him. "It's been a tough journey for him, but we're happy he's at where he's at. He's in a great place.' ___ AP NHL: recommended
Associated Press
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Nichushkin's personal life is in a 'good spot' ahead of Avalanche-Stars playoff series, coach says
DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin took strides to take his hard-checking, goal-scoring game to another level this season. Same with his life away from the rink, his Colorado Avalanche teammates, coach and GM maintain. It was nearly a year ago against the Dallas Stars when Nichushkin was suspended for six months and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The announcement came just before Game 4 of the second-round series, marking the second straight postseason where the right winger from Russia was unavailable because of circumstances away from the ice. Nichushkin and the Avalanche are facing the Stars — the team that drafted him in 2013 — in a first-round series that starts Saturday in Dallas. 'His personal life's in a really good spot,' Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Friday before the team boarded a plane for Dallas. 'I'm just really happy for him and proud that he put in the work.' Added teammate Logan O'Connor: 'Anyone that goes through that personal adversity, it's hard not to root for them. The comeback he's had has been remarkable. To play at the level he has, it's definitely something that guys are proud of for him, and we certainly root for him all the time.' When in the lineup, the 30-year-old Nichushkin has been a valuable piece for the Avalanche. The team is 224-79-29 all-time when he plays. But he's missed the past two playoff losses for off-the-ice issues. Earlier this week, general manager Chris MacFarland was asked about potential trust issues given what's transpired with Nichushkin. 'I've got the utmost confidence and faith in Val,' MacFarland said. 'I look at what he's done on the ice and what he's had to go through, and again, have the utmost faith in him that he's in a great place, and he'll continue to to grind it out here for us and be a good player.' Nichushkin missed the opening 17 games because of the suspension before making his season debut on Nov. 15 against Washington. He's banged up, too, and sidelined for 21 games due to a lower-body injury. Still, he finished with 21 goals and 13 assists in averaging just under 20 minutes of ice time. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Nichushkin is a 'forechecking machine,' according to defenseman Erik Johnson, and contributes on special teams. He had his first regular-season hat trick last month. 'Just a player everyone needs but not everybody has,' Johnson said of Nichushkin, who was an integral part of Colorado winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. 'We're luck to have him.' It was a blow for the Avalanche losing him against the Stars. Colorado went on to lose the series in six games. This after Nichushkin abruptly left the team in a 2023 first-round playoff series against Seattle for what was described as personal reasons. He missed the final five games of that postseason as the Avalanche lost the series 4-3. 'He took the right necessary steps to get in a healthy place. We had his back the whole time,' O'Connor said. 'He's been awesome. I think he's really improved on his own well-being, and he's opened up more. As a locker room, we maybe weren't doing as good of a job making him feel open before that as well. It's collectively been really healthy this year. You've seen the results on the ice, and we're really proud of him. 'It's been a tough journey for him, but we're happy he's at where he's at. He's in a great place.' ___ AP NHL:
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers beat Sabres 4-0 for sixth straight win
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Vitek Vanecek stopped all 21 shots he faced in his Florida debut, and the Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-0 on Saturday night. A.J. Greer, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell and Sam Bennett all scored as the Panthers won their sixth-straight game. Vanecek, acquired from San Jose on Wednesday, got his first shutout of the season and 10th of his career. Captain Aleksander Barkov had an assist, giving him six points in his past two games. Nate Schmidt added two assists. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, made 32 saves for the Sabres, who lost their sixth straight game. KRAKEN 4, FLYERS 1 PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Matty Beniers, Chandler Stephenson and Tye Kartye scored in the second period, helping Seattle beat Philadelphia. Brandon Montour also scored for the Kraken, who had lost four of five. Philipp Grubauer made 23 saves. Beniers' 15th goal gave Seattle a 2-1 lead with 1:03 left in the second. Stephenson added a short-handed goal with 22 seconds remaining in the period. Owen Tippett scored his 19th goal for Philadelphia in the first period. Samuel Ersson had 28 saves. SENATORS 4, RANGERS 3, OT OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Brady Tkachuk capped a two-goal effort with the game-winning marker 33 seconds into overtime as Ottawa beat New York. With the win, the Senators (32-25-5) took over the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Rangers (31-26-6) remain just outside with Columbus holding the second spot. Trailing 3-1 early in the third period, the Senators rallied back to force the extra period. Ridly Greig got Ottawa within one, burying a Dylan Cozens rebound at 10:16. With 2:52 remaining in regulation, Michael Amadio tied the game 3-3 jumping on a loose puck. Artemi Panarin gave the Rangers a 3-1 lead at 7:08 of the third when he was able to get behind Ottawa's defense and beat Linus Ullmark's high glove to extend his goal streak to four games. Ullmark made 20 saves. AVALANCHE 7, LEAFS 4 DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin completed a hat trick with an empty-net score after Nathan MacKinnon knocked in the go-ahead goal with 4:15 remaining and Colorado rallied from two goals down to beat Toronto. It was Nichushkin's first three-goal game in the regular season. He also had a hat trick in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series in 2024. Nichushkin tied his career-high with four points. With Colorado on the power play, MacKinnon sent a wrist shot over the glove of Anthony Stolarz to give Colorado the lead. The Avalanche tied the game on Jonathan Drouin's goal with 8:05 left. It was part of five consecutive goals for Colorado after trailing 4-2 in the second period. Joel Kiviranta also scored and MacKinnon closed it out with an empty-netter for the Avalanche, who improved to 5-0 on their six-game homestand. BRUINS 4, LIGHTNING 0 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jeremy Swayman stopped all 26 shots he faced to lead the Boston to a victory against Tampa Bay. Cole Koepke scored twice against his former team. Mark Kastelic and Nikita Zadorov also scored for Boston which won for just the second time in 10 games. Swayman recorded his fourth shutout of the season and 16th of his career. Andrei Vasilevskiy finished with 21 saves for Tampa Bay. Boston took the lead after Casey Mittelstadt intercepted a Nick Perbix pass in the neutral zone and found Koepke. As Koepke cut to the net and tried to slip a puck through the pads that Vasilevskiy stopped, Oliver Bjorkstrand tried to clear the puck out of the paint but hit Vasilevskiy's pad and the puck rebounded into the net at 10:32 of the second period. FLAMES 1, CANADIENS 0 CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Joel Farabee scored the only goal and Dustin Wolf made 26 saves as Calgary moved back into a playoff spot with a victory over Montreal. The win moves the Flames into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, one point up on the idle Vancouver Canucks. Montreal, which entered the game with points in six straight (5-0-1) games, was shut out for the fourth time this season. Wolf, who collected his third shutout, improves to 22-12-4. He also moves to 3-0-0 in his career against the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes made 23 stops for the Canadiens. KINGS 2, BLUES 1, OT LOS ANGELES (AP) — Quinton Byfield scored on a wrist shot 27 seconds into overtime to give Los Angeles a win over St. Louis. Byfield got his 13th goal of the season, capitalizing on a turnover forced by Adrian Kempe before scoring from the left circle to end the Kings' five-game skid. Anze Kopitar had a goal, Darcy Kuemper made 19 saves, and Los Angeles picked up a win in three games against St. Louis in the past eight days. Nick Leddy scored and Joel Hofer made 22 saves, helping the Blues pick up a point for the 11th time in 13 games to surge back into wild-card contention. Leddy's first goal of the season came early in the third period on a slap shot through traffic, cancelling out Kopitar's tip of a shot from Drew Doughty late in the first. PREDATORS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2, OT NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Steven Stamkos scored at 2:39 of overtime to complete his 14th career hat trick and Nashville beat Chicago. Justus Annunen finished with 17 saves as the Predators got their third straight win. Ilya Mikheyev and Alex Vlasic scored for the Blackhawks, who were 3-0-1 in their last four games. Arvid Soderblom had 38 saves. Vlasic gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead 1:56 into the second period. Chicago's Alec Martinez was sent off for high-sticking 25 seconds later, and Stamkos tied the score just 15 seconds into the power play. Stamkos put the Predators ahead nearly 10 minutes later. Mikheyev tied it with 7:38 left in regulation.
