Avalanche's Valeri Nichushkin: Red hot before All-Star break

Nichushkin has one goal and three points with a plus-7 rating in the last eight games.

That exceptional rating lately has raised his plus/minus for the season to plus-19. The 24-year-old has been very solid, posting eight goals and 17 points in 44 games, but his 10.7 shooting percentage is more than 3.0 percent higher than normal. After 11 days away from the rink, it will also be interesting to see if Nichushkin can continue the hot streak he had going before the All-Star break when the Avalanche play again Saturday.