MINNEAPOLIS — Valeri Nichushkin found an opening in the offensive zone Saturday night and smacked his stick on the ice in rapid fashion, trying to get Sam Malinski’s attention.
When the puck went toward the net and not his stick, Nichushkin was visibly frustrated. In the big picture, it was a rare sight. Nichushkin is not typically an outwardly emotional player. It also wasn’t the last bit of visible frustration for the uber-talented Russian wing during a 5-1 loss in Game 3 of this second-round series against the Minnesota Wild.
Nichushkin and Brock Nelson have been a steady, two-way force all season for the Colorado Avalanche on the club’s second line. They haven’t been able to break through on the offensive side of things so far in this postseason, and it boiled over a couple times for Nichushkin in Game 3.
“Yeah, I have noticed it more,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said Sunday of Nichushkin’s frustration. “You have to work through it. It’s a frustrating time of year, playoffs. Guys that want to produce, it’s hard to produce. I think it’s something that you’ve got to work through.
“So as a coach for me, this morning talking about some of those things and like, ‘Well, why are we frustrated here, and what led to that frustration,’ right? So there’s details in the game for me that I can help with — not just Val but other forwards on our team. Like, you’re feeling frustration last night? This is why.”
Nelson has slotted in as the club’s No. 2 center in 79 of the 82 regular-season games this year. He missed one game, and Nathan MacKinnon missed two so he moved up to the top line on those nights.
His most-consistent linemate this season is Nichushkin. Both players are large, great skaters and strong defensively. They found chemistry almost immediately, and became of the league’s great two-way, one-two punches at even strength.
Nelson is a finalist for the Selke Trophy, awarded to the league’s best defensive forward. Nichushkin will receive votes as well, and is one of the NHL’s best on the wing.
They combined for 50 goals and 114 points, and were the team’s fourth- and fifth-leading scorers. It’s been a different story, so far, in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Both have one goal in seven games. Both goals were into an empty net. They’ve combined for three assists.
“I mean we have to find ways to be more possessive with the puck, sustain a little bit more in the o-zone, and generate a few more chances,” Nelson said Saturday night. “I feel like we’re confident in the ability that we have. Some nights might be a little bit different depending on the matchup or how the games running with special teams. So defensively, yeah, I think we’ve been pretty solid, but offensively there’s more.”
Among forwards with at least 500 minutes of ice time at 5-on-5, Nichushkin was second in expected goals for percentage (xGF%) in the NHL this season at 60.33%. Nelson was eighth at 59.0%.
Factor in how Bednar deployed them — often against top offensive lines, often starting in the defensive zone — and they were the NHL’s best duo at the flipping the field position and helping the Avs control games at even strength.
They are at the bottom of the Avs’ xGF% leaders through seven games in the playoffs, and the only two forwards worse than 48%.
Bednar hinted that there could be some lineup tinkering for Game 4, which is Monday night at Grand Casino Arena. Nelson and Nichushkin have had a different third guy on their line at various points, from captain Gabe Landeskog to Ross Colton, Artturi Lehkonen and a brief cameo for Parker Kelly.
The Avs won six straight games to open this postseason. There’s been few reasons for concern, but another loss or two without more help at the offensive end from Colorado’s two-way terrors would change that narrative in a hurry.
Nelson and Nichushkin are a dynamic defensive duo, but the Avs are going to need more to help make this playoff run reach the destination they’re shooting for.
“I just think as a group of three, they have to be more connected, closer to the puck,” Bednar said. “I felt like last night, (the Wild) did a nice job of getting their bodies around the puck in o-zone play, and we were a little spread out and a little slower to get support for the puck. Every team’s going to try and close you quick, come up with a quick battle, get the puck and get out of the zone, right? And in order to counteract that, you have to have numbers around the puck, and you’ve got to be physical and competitive in there to come up with some pucks to spread them out so you can play in o-zone play.
“To me, that line was a little slow to get there, not connected enough as a group of three to come up with enough pucks to spend more time in o-zone play.”
