In Denver, Valeri Nichushkin hit for a pair of goals for the Colorado Avalanche in a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
“He’s stepping up at the right time,” Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said. “We’re getting timely goals from different guys every night. That’s how you win hockey games, you make plays when the game’s on the line. It’s what you need to be a top team in this League.
“He’s such a team guy, an unselfish guy; you want those guys to have success. He’s carved out a real important role on our team.”
The Avs improved to 17-7-2.
“It feels good,” the Avs Nathan MacKinnon said . “We feel we’re a top team too, no surprise there. I think we can play with anybody.”
Darcy Kuemper made 28 saves in the Colorado win.
Julien Gauthier and Ryan Strome scored for the Rangers who have dropped three of their last four games.
“I thought we played a good hard game,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We played against a real good hockey team that plays really fast. We made a couple of mistakes, but overall we played a good game.”
Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar combined to give the Avs a 2-0 lead in the game.
“I guess the pucks just seem to be going in right now,” Makar said. “I don’t think this is going to continue throughout the year. I think it’s a little bit heavy pace right now. It seems cliché, but a lot of credit goes back to guys moving the puck well and then creating lanes for everybody. Even the goal that I scored tonight — Compher just in front of the net, it doesn’t go in if he’s not there.”
Alexandar Georgiev made 26 saves in the Rangers loss.
“You’re going to go through [difficult] stretches in the season,” Strome said. “That’s part of playing in the NHL. It’s a great opportunity for growth. When things are going well sometimes you get a little complacent and sometimes it’s a little bit of a reality check. Tonight, although it’s a loss, the effort was there.”
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