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.

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 returns to the Colorado Avalanche lineup Wednesday night for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a lower-body injury. The Russian forward will try to spark a sputtering Avalanche offense that’s scored two goals in back-to-back losses since coming back from the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

The Avalanche are preparing to welcome Valeri Nichushkin back into their lineup for the first time since late December.

The power play for the Toronto Maple Leafs has been red hot and has been a big reason for many of their recent wins. Toronto ranks third on the man-advantage since January 15 — converting on 33% of their opportunities — so that feels like a good spot to exploit in tonight’s betting market.

Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 4:09 remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1.

It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday ... In one quick sequence, Colorado’s second line showed a combination of skill and dogged determination that became a ...

DENVER (AP) — 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. The Russian forward ...