Avalanche reacts to Valeri Nichushkin information: “He made his selections” TERMAN WEBSITE

Colorado Avalanche proper wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) and Zach Parise (9) take the ice for warmups earlier than Recreation 3 of the second spherical of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs in opposition to the Dallas Stars in Denver on Saturday, Could 11, 2024. (Picture by Andy Cross/The Denver Submit)

Jack Johnson couldn’t conceal his frustration.

Recent off a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that put this Avalanche season that started with championship aspirations on the brink, the veteran defenseman didn’t maintain again in addition to a few of his teammates.

The Avs have been with out Valeri Nichushkin, the staff’s main aim scorer on this postseason, in Recreation 4 in opposition to the Stars. They’re going to be with out him for not less than six months after the NHL and NHLPA introduced simply earlier than this contest that Nichushkin had been positioned in Stage 3 of the participant help program.

“He made his selections,” Johnson mentioned. “That’s all I’m going to say on that. He made his selections.”

Nichushkin’s entry into Stage 3 of this system was the results of a violation of the phrases of his Stage 2 therapy. That stems from his time in this system through the common season, when he missed almost two months however nonetheless completed with profession highs in objectives (28) and factors (53) in simply 54 video games performed.

Avs coach Jared Bednar mentioned he discovered the information after the staff’s morning skate Monday. Just a few of the gamers who have been nonetheless at Ball Enviornment through the afternoon discovered early, however Bednar gathered the staff to ship the information after everybody had arrived for Recreation 4.

“It will probably (deflate a staff) however you recognize we’re all human. We’re all professionals,” Avs ahead Jonathan Drouin mentioned. “It’s that stuff … you don’t management it. You’ll be able to’t actually dwell on it, you’ll be able to’t actually give it some thought. After we heard the information we, form of like everybody else, we have been shocked. And clearly it sucks however I do know we needed to transfer on and prepare for a recreation.”

Bednar mentioned his staff seemed frozen within the first interval. The Stars grabbed a 3-0 lead and at one level the pictures on aim have been 22-4 in favor of the guests.

Colorado did make a late push, however Dallas continued to restrict the Avalanche’s high-powered offense from creating the flurry of wonderful possibilities that they prefer to feed off of.

That is the second postseason in a row the place Nichushkin’s absence forged a shadow over the Avs. He missed the ultimate 5 video games of the membership’s first-round loss to the Seattle Kraken final spring after he left the staff for what the membership termed “private causes.” A Seattle police report later revealed that an intoxicated lady was present in Nichushkin’s lodge room the morning earlier than Recreation 3 of that collection in Seattle.

“I’m not gonna go there. Val is clearly scuffling with one thing,” Bednar mentioned when requested how a lot Nichushkin let the staff down. “I’ve two ideas. Yeah, it sucks for our staff. We’ve bought to show the web page. We’ve bought to go play method higher than we did at this time. There’s nonetheless 20-plus guys in that room that care and wish to win and which might be right here. That’s what we have now to give attention to. It hurts our staff. There’s no query. He’s an incredible participant.

“And the second is I’ve gotten to know Val as an individual and I’ve gotten to know him as one in all our teammates and I would like what’s greatest for him. I would like him to be glad and I would like him to be content material in his life, whether or not that’s with our staff or not with our staff. I would like the most effective for him and his household. … Val is a giant precedence. And our staff is one other one. Now they’re separated. They’re not collectively.”

The Avs started started this season as one of many prime contenders for the Stanley Cup. They seemed prefer it after dismantling the Winnipeg Jets in 5 video games to start out this postseason.

Nichushkin was a giant a part of that, scoring seven occasions within the collection. Now the Avs will go to Texas and attempt to save their season. Colorado misplaced the primary two video games with out Nichushkin final 12 months vs. Seattle, rallied to win Recreation 6 on the street, then fell flat in Recreation 7.