The storyline commanding the most attention in the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars' playoff series is forward Mikko Rantanen. The former Avs superstar is now with the Stars, and he's expected to be an impactful player all series long.
All eight first-round matchups are set for the Stanley Cup playoffs. With the playoffs set to begin Saturday, here are the biggest storylines to watch during the journey to hoist Lord Stanley's Cup.
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are going to be exciting. There’ll be a ton of great matchups. The Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings meet for the fourth postseason in a row.
How many of the yearly leaders in NHL goals since the 1990-91 season can you name in five minutes?
After forty minutes, it looked like the Toronto Maple Leafs could potentially escape against the Colorado Avalanche despite being outshot and out-chanced.
Valeri Nichushkin had three goals for his first career regular-season hat trick, Nathan MacKinnon had two goals to reach 100 points for the season, and the Colorado Avalanche rallied in the third period to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 7-4 in Denver on Saturday night.
Meeting for the first time this season, and after both teams made significant trade deadline acquisitions, the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs in Denver, Colorado.
Valeri Nichushkin’s puck-handling skills and vision on the ice are outstanding. He is the epitome of a playmaker and the team suffers when he is out of the lineup.
Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 in Denver on Wednesday night. Artturi Lehkonen, Casey Mittelstadt and Logan O'Connor also scored for Colorado, which ended a two-game skid.
Once again, the Colorado Avalanche have been forced to play a lengthy period of time without forward Valeri Nichushkin — and once again, they’re preparing to welcome him back into their lineup.
The Colorado Avalanche are set to welcome back forward Valeri Nichushkin from a 21-game absence on Wednesday night as they take on the New Jersey Devils.
The Avalanche are getting Valeri Nichushkin back on Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednar announced during his weekly radio segment. The 29-year-old forward has missed every game since the calendar turned to 2025.
The Colorado Avalanche have stumbled out of the 4 Nations Face-Off break, but they may get a key player back when they host the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.
He is coming off his second lengthy absence of the season, although only this one was injury-related.
The lineup implications of these moves are hard to gauge.
The Colorado Avalanche’s injury woes continue as head coach Jared Bednar revealed Wednesday that forward Valeri Nichushkin has suffered a setback in his recovery from a lower-body injury.
Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin had a setback in his rehab from a lower-body injury and is now considered week-to-week. Head coach Jared Bednar confirmed the news Wednesday and said Nichushkin "is not close to coming back soon." Nichushkin, 29, has not played since Dec.
The Avalanche will be without a star forward for longer than originally expected.
Not the best news regarding the status of one of the Colorado Avalanche’s top-scoring threats. On Wednesday, head coach Jared Bednard revealed that forward Valeri Nichushkin is considered week-to-week with a lower-body injury.
The Colorado Avalanche have yet to have forward Valeri Nichuskin in their lineup in the calendar year of 2025; he hasn’t played since their 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on New Year’s Eve.
The Colorado Avalanche will be without Valeri Nichushkin on Thursday versus the Buffalo Sabres as the veteran right winger is sidelined day-to-day due to a lower-body injury, per head coach Jared Bednar.
Nichushkin hasn’t played since being placed into Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on May 14, which included a six-month suspension from team activity and pay.
Valeri Nichushkin has arrived back in Denver and is set to begin skating and working out on his own, the Avalanche announced on Saturday. Colorado’s top forward is serving his six-month suspension in Stage 3 of the NHL Player Assistance Program.
It was just a few weeks ago that Colorado Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Assitance Program. As a result, Nichushkin has been suspended without pay for a minimum of six months.
We should really clean things up on the ice after yesterday's dud, and we're back to the plus-money well to do just that. Florida and Dallas are looking to close things out and both move on to their second-straight Conference Final appearances.
Valeri Nichushkin will once again be unavailable to the Colorado Avalanche during the playoffs. Nichushkin has entered Stage 3 of the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program.
Today's NHL slate offers quite a few games of intrigue, and Yardbarker's Griffin Carroll is drawn to two in particular.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!