Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Nets pair Tuesday

Nichushkin scored twice on three shots, blocked two shots and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Rangers.

Nichushkin tallied late in both the second and third periods to help the Avalanche maintain a two-goal advantage. The 26-year-old has four goals and three assists through eight games in December. For the season, the Russian winger is up to 15 points, 43 shots, 25 hits and a plus-11 rating in 17 contests overall while mainly working in a middle-six role.