Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin: Tacks on late goal
Rotowire
Nikishin scored a goal on five shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 5-1 win over the Jets.
Nikishin snapped a seven-game point drought with a tally in the final minute of the contest. The 24-year-old defenseman was scratched once in that span, and that may happen at times when his play isn't up to the Hurricanes' standards. He's been pressed into a bigger role than initially expected due to the team's numerous injuries on defense early in the season. Nikishin has three goals, nine points, a plus-15 rating, 43 shots on net, 55 hits and 33 blocked shots, which is a great foundation for a blueliner who could be an all-around fantasy force in short order.
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Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin: Showing future star potential
Rotowire
Nikishin scored a goal Saturday in a 2-1 loss to Boston.
He wired a slap shot from the slot late in the third period with the extra skater on the ice for Carolina's lone goal. Nikishin has a goal and an assist in his last two games. He has produced two tallies, six points, 21 shots on net and a plus-10 rating through 11 contests this season. He's already in the hunt for the Calder Trophy as the best rookie. Due to injuries, he is on the top pairing and has been working on the second power-play unit. Nikishin is a star in the making.
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Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin: Buries first goal
Rotowire
Nikishin scored a goal on two shots and added two hits in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Ducks.
Nikishin has opened the season with a four-game point streak consisting of one goal and three assists. His tally Thursday was the first of his NHL career. The 24-year-old rookie has added eight shots on net, 10 hits, five blocked shots and a plus-6 rating. While he's been at least somewhat sheltered on the Hurricanes' third pairing, his adjustment to the NHL is clearly going well, and he offers multi-category upside in fantasy.
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Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin: Collects assist Thursday
Rotowire
Nikishin recorded an assist in Thursday's 6-3 win over New Jersey.
It was Nikishin's first career regular-season game in the NHL, though he did already record an assist in four NHL playoff outings with Carolina last year. The 24-year-old also had a plus-3 rating, one shot, three hits and two blocks in Thursday's victory. It's a great start to the season for Nikishin, but keep in mind that he's serving on the third pairing and isn't expected to get regular power-play ice time, so his offensive contributions will likely be limited in 2025-26.
Hurricanes' Alexander Nikishin: NHL debut in series-clinching win
Rotowire
Nikishin made his NHL debut in a 3-1 win over Washington in Game 5 on Thursday.
Nikishin had two shots on goal in 10:33 of ice time. He replaced and injured Jalen Chatfield (undisclosed) on the Canes third pair with Shayne Gostisbehere. Nikishin had been practicing with the Canes since agreeing to a two-year contract April 11. It will take some time for him to get comfortable on NHL ice, but so far, so good. Nikishin had 46 points (17 goals, 29 assists) in 61 KHL games with SKA St. Petersburg this season. He finished his KHL career as SKA's all-time leader in scoring by a defender with 177 points, including 54 goals, in 288 games. Nikishin was also named KHL Defenseman of the Month seven times in three seasons with SKA.
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