Valeri Nichushkin Shines in Avalanche's Shootout Loss
Valeri Nichushkin's performance on Thursday night was nothing short of magnificent, with his coach Jared Bednar describing it as possibly his best game of the year.
The Avalanche debuted their Quebec Nordiques throwbacks but struggled with turnovers and defense early on, and power-play struggles throughout the game. However, Nichushkin's second goal of the night, scored on the team's seventh power-play opportunity, helped Colorado come back from a 4-1 deficit at 14:09 of the third period.
"I thought he was having a great game, maybe his best of the year,"
Avs coach Jared Bednar said, explaining why Nichushkin was promoted to the top power-play unit before scoring the game-tying goal. The Avalanche ultimately lost 5-4 in a shootout against the Carolina Hurricanes at Ball Arena.
Author's summary: Nichushkin shines in Avalanche's loss.
- Valeri Nichushkin scored two goals, including the game-tying goal.
- The Avalanche debuted their Quebec Nordiques throwbacks.
- The team struggled with turnovers and defense early on.