Morale for the Colorado Avalanche was pretty low on Monday night as they received bad news right before game four against the Dallas Stars. Valerie Nichushkin was going to be entering Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and receive a six-month suspension.
So much happened to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday that the day seemed at least 48 hours long. It all started off so well. The Avalanche were set to get Jonathan Drouin back in their lineup, and hope had been restored that they could tie this series up.
You would be shocked too if you received the news that the Colorado Avalanche received prior to Game Four. Losing one of your best players not just for one game, but for at least six months?
In a must-win game, the Colorado Avalanche laid an egg. A really big one. Hours after learning that the team had lost Valeri Nichushkin to a six month suspension, the Avalanche, as their head coach described it, looked “frozen” in the first period, getting outshot 16-2 in front of their home crowd and generally looking awful.
Nobody likes Mondays, but this one was especially bad for the Colorado Avalanche. Hours after being informed by the NHL that one of their most productive players, Valeri Nichushkin, was suspended for six months, they fell to the Dallas Stars 5-1 in Game 4 of their second-round series.
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was put in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program of the NHL Players' Association and NHL on Monday, leading to a suspension of at least six months that will force him to miss the rest of the playoffs.
The National Hockey League along with the National Hockey League Players’ Association have announced that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been put into Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program.
The Colorado Avalanche are losing their leading playoff goal scorer.
According to the NHL’s Public Relations Department, Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been suspended after reports suggest he failed a drug test as part of the Players’ Assistance Program.
The National Hockey League and National Hockey League Players’ Association announced today that forward Valeri Nichushkin of the Colorado Avalanche has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program of the NHLPA and NHL.
The Colorado Avalanche will get a key piece back in the lineup for Game Four, but will lose an even bigger one in Valeri Nichushkin. Nichushkin, who leads the Avalanche and is tied for the NHL lead in goals scored during the playoffs with nine, will miss Game Four and beyond.
The NHL has announced that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin has been played in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. As a result, Nichushkin has been suspended without pay for a minimum of six months.
The Dallas Stars had more wins on the road than any other team in the Western Conference during the regular season. On Saturday night, they proved why they're so tough away from home.
The Colorado Avalanche were unable to make a second consecutive multi-goal comeback against the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of their Western Conference second-round series on Thursday night — but Valeri Nichushkin continued his goal-scoring tear nonetheless.
Valeri Nichushkin has scored a goal in every single postseason game the Colorado Avalanche have played in 2024 — and the Russian is on the verge of making National Hockey League history ahead of Game 2 against the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.
Valeri Nichushkin got the hat trick on Sunday but Cale Makar was the difference for the Colorado Avalanche.
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