It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday night.
Nichushkin hadn’t played in 21 games because of a lower-body injury, but his return was a successful one in a 5-1 thumping of the New Jersey Devils. And it started right from his first shift.
New Jersey defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic attempted an outlet pass from below his goal line. The puck was heading to the right of the left-shooting Nichushkin. He spun and whacked it out of mid-air, sending back toward the Devils goal line with a backhanded swat.
Jonathan Drouin was there to stop the puck, kick it to himself and return it to Nichushkin for a one-timer from the left faceoff dot. In one quick sequence, Colorado’s second line showed a combination of skill and dogged determination that became a hallmark of how the entire team played against one of the Eastern Conference’s best clubs.
“If you look at the second line and the pace, o-zone time, the scoring chances, I think he really helps those guys,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “He’s the type of player with what he provides that I think is sort of like the perfect complimentary guy — for anybody — but for guys like (Casey) Mittelstadt and Drouin. We’ve been missing that, and he made an impact.”
The Avs had nine forwards collect at least one point against the Devils. Nichushkin wasn’t one of them, but his impact was obvious.
There was the tangible individual stuff — Nichushkin was second to Nathan MacKinnon on the team with five shots on goal. He led the Avs with seven shot attempts at 5-on-5.
When Nichushkin was on the ice at 5-on-5, the Avs had twice as many shots on goal (12-6) and nearly twice as many scoring chances (11-6) as the Devils, per Natural Stat Trick.
He didn’t return to his normal place at the front of the net on the top power play at the start of the game. But when Artturi Lehkonen needed a break after drawing a penalty, there was Nichushkin back in his office.
And while he didn’t collect a point on MacKinnon’s first power-play goal, the reigning league MVP had time to whiff on his first rebound attempt before potting the second one in large part because New Jersey goalie Jake Allen had no idea where the puck was.
Why? Because the large human in the No. 13 jersey had screened him on the original shot.
“Such a difference-maker,” MacKinnon said. “We’re tough to beat when he’s in the lineup. We’re just a completely different team. He helps the second line a lot. He pushes the pace. He’s a beast.”
There are also the less tangible reasons why Nichushkin’s return is such a boost for the Avalanche. Colorado has been starved for more offense when the top line or power play isn’t on the ice.
There were signs of progress for Mittelstadt and Drouin, like the goal in Nashville two games prior. Adding Nichushkin was either the perfect elixir, great timing teaming up with them on the upswing, or a little of both.
Regardless, the effect of having both of the top two lines dictating play at the same time was felt throughout the lineup.
“That’s all about the momentum of the game, and being able to try and sustain it from line to line,” Bednar said. “So if there’s a gap in any of your lines, or one isn’t playing well, you can gain momentum and then just give it right back.
“It’s a huge difference. When your team starts to feel it, when you’re pushing and doing good things, you’re creating scoring chances. When that gets sustained for a while, you feel like you’re going to break the other team down.”
Eventually, the Avs did Wednesday night, breaking it open with four goals in the third period. The Avs are now 15-7 when Nichushkin plays this season and 19-17-2 when he doesn’t.
It’s a years-long trend since he arrived in Denver and had a breakout season when the Avs won the Stanley Cup. Just in the years since the title, Colorado is 89-30-10 during the regular season when Nichushkin plays and 46-43-6 when he doesn’t.
That’s a 119-point team over 82 games when Nichushkin plays, and an 84-point club when he doesn’t. The win Wednesday night was another reminder of how important he is to this team, even with the precarious nature of his availability during the past three seasons.
“I wasn’t here for the Stanley Cup run, but that’s when he really started to show it,” Drouin said. “When you get a guy like that back with so much size and skill and speed, it changes the whole dynamic of your team. It’s huge.”
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