Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin sustained minor injuries in car accident

Valeri Nichushkin may have some of the worst injury luck in the league.

They hockey world was a bit surprised to find out the Colorado Avalanche forward was a late absence from Monday’s 5-2 win over the Washington Capitals, but Avs head coach Jared Bednar provided more clarity on Nichushkin’s absence, as he found himself in a car accident on the way to the arena for the game and sustained minor injuries.

At this point in time, the specifics of the injuries for Nichushkin are not known. Bednar specified that while Nichushkin missed Monday’s game with the injury, they aren’t sure what his status is for Tuesday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks.

Nichushkin has already missed eight games with a lower-body injury in November, so it’s another bad string of health for him in his career. While it’s certainly still possible for him to play 73 games this season, he has yet to play more than 65 in a season since returning from the KHL in 2018.

When Nichushkin has been in the lineup, he’s played a solid game with 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 38 games, which is around the middle of his production rates since 2018. That said, he’s still been excellent defensively with a -0.107 5v5 regularized adjusted plus-minus expected goals against per 60 minutes.

With Nichushkin out of the lineup, Alex Barre-Boulet made his season debut with the Avalanche, getting an assist on the opening goal. Meanwhile, Victor Olofsson moved up onto the second line alongside Brock Nelson and Ross Colton in Nichushkin’s absence.

The Avalanche continue their torrid pace this season, as their 34-5-8 record is first in the league by a 10-point margin. Colorado will look to build off of their win over the Capitals when they host the Ducks on Tuesday at 7 p.m. MST.