Deen’s Daily: Avalanche Above .500 As Nichushkin Prepares For Return; Red Wings Defeat Penguins in OT

The Avalanche needed to hold the fort down until they got their forwards back. In five games with Artturi Lehkonen, they’re 4-1-0, which is already a great start. But they’ve been without Valeri Nichushkin all season and Jonathan Drouin for every game since opening night. Nichushkin’s return is confirmed for Friday while Drouin could also return that same night. And of course, the addition of Miles Wood could also shore up the bottom six.

In 17 games with a shorthanded forward group, Colorado managed to remain above .500, sitting at 9-8-0. It’s not the most exciting record but it’s impressive all things considered. Especially when you take into account the tough 0-4-0 start. The Avs dealt with goaltending issues along the way but those have since quieted down after a decent stretch of hockey from Justus Annunen followed by the recent four-game stretch from Alexandar Georgiev.

Georgiev has been solid and is looking like the goalie who has led the team for most of the last two seasons. Head coach Jared Bednar probably hasn’t felt this way all year, but he’s confident in his goaltending.

On Wednesday, Georgiev faced just 14 shots but stopped 12 of them to help the Avalanche to a 4-2 victory over the L.A. Kings. Mikko Rantanen had a hat trick and assisted on the other goal, Nathan MacKinnon had three assists, and Makar had one helper.

The trio make up three of the top four scorers in the league nearly a quarter of the way through the regular season.

NHL points leaders:

1. MacKinnon (33)
2. Kaprizov (28)
T3. Makar (25)
T3. Rantanen (25)

The Avalanche needed the top guys to carry them until they got help back in the lineup and they did exactly that. Colorado is 9-8-0 and welcomes Nichushkin back on Friday.

— Aarif Deen (@runwriteAarif) November 14, 2024

Detroit Hockey Now: The Red Wings, who haven’t had the greatest start to the season, came away with a 3-2 OT victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Simon Edvinsson had the game-winning goal and Team Canada hopeful Cam Talbot earned the victory between the pipes. For the Pens, it’s yet another loss as their season continues to unravel. The Penguins already traded away one pending UFA in Lars Eller on Tuesday.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: You can catch Pittsburgh’s angle here. Or dive deeper into an assessment of the loss here.