Valeri Nichushkin News: Scores pair of goals

Nichushkin scored two goals on seven shots and added two PIM in Thursday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Hurricanes.

Nichushkin got the Avalanche on the board at 4:04 of the first period and tied the game a second time with a power-play tally at 14:09 of the third. This was his second multi-goal effort of the season. Nichushkin has four goals, one assist, 22 shots on net, eight hits and a plus-2 rating over eight appearances. He's off to an inconsistent start in a second-line role, but he's still in a good position to push for 20-plus goals and 50-plus points if he can stay healthy.