Avalanche Notebook: Nichushkin Getting Healthier

It was a relaxed skate for a lot of the Colorado Avalanche veterans this morning. Looking especially relaxed was Valeri Nichushkin, who is skating with the first line and in the first power play group as well. He has shed the non contact sweater but is still “on minimal contact” per coach Jared Bednar.

Surprisingly, Andrew Cogliano and Kurtis MacDermid took the day off due to “some tweaks they suffered in game. They will be skating tomorrow and see how they feel.” said Bednar. There has been no recent updates for captain Gabriel Landeskog, out with a lower body injury, or Darren Helm.

Cogliano and MacDermid out for maintenance per Coach Bednar pic.twitter.com/CEkzDrKhor

— Brennan Vogt (@AvsTerritory) September 29, 2022

When Bednar was asked today about how he felt about Alexandar Georgiev, “He was great in the first one, struggled in the second one. We pulled him after two to give him a little rest.”

We also got an update on why Alex Galchenyuk got released from his PTO. Coach Bednar stated that “he had a significant injury and would have been out a while. We will be keeping in touch with him.”

So it sounds like the Avalanche may have liked what they saw from him in the short time he was with the team.

Here were the lines today based on sweater color:

Blue Lehkonen MacKinnon Rantanen

Burgundy Nichushkin Newhook Rodrigues

White Compher Meyers LOC

Grey Kaut Sedlak Blidh

Light blue (scratches) Maltsev Bowers Megna

Black Makar Toews Girard Manson Byram EJ

PP 1 Makar Nichushkin Rantanen Lehkonen MacKinnon

PP 2 Byram Toews Girard Compher Newhook (Rodrigues rotating in)

Second PP unit
Byram Toews Girard Compher Newhook (Rodrigues)
Thats right 3 d are in on it and it was working. #GoAvsGo #Avs pic.twitter.com/uFzwhe8gbV

— Brennan Vogt (@AvsTerritory) September 29, 2022

Although, there is one key player out with Landeskog, Nichushkin getting healthier is a great sign for the top six of the Avalanche. Nichushkin provides some more options on the wing in the second line and even in the first line. Once Landeskog comes back and either Alex Newhook or Evan Rodrigues are the center, the top six will very hard to stop. The Avalanche will have an off day tomorrow and more than likely be back at the rink on a Saturday morning with a game on Monday night against Dallas.