Valeri Nichushkin is going to return Wednesday night against the New Jersey Devils. He’s been out since Dec. 31 with a lower-body injury. He’s expected to start on the second line and the second power-play unit.

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.

The Colorado Avalanche has a re-tooled roster capable of winning the Stanley Cup, but the cost makes it a huge risk.

Valeri Nichushkin returns to the Colorado Avalanche lineup Wednesday night for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a lower-body injury. The Russian forward will try to spark a sputtering Avalanche offense that’s scored two goals in back-to-back losses since coming back from the break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.

The Avalanche are preparing to welcome Valeri Nichushkin back into their lineup for the first time since late December.

Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-1 in Denver on Wednesday night.

Casey Mittelstadt scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 4:09 remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1.

It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday ... In one quick sequence, Colorado’s second line showed a combination of skill and dogged determination that became a ...

DENVER (AP) — Valeri Nichushkin returns to the Colorado Avalanche lineup Wednesday night for the first time in nearly two months after recovering from a lower-body injury. The Russian forward ...