10/16/25 09:28:00
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10/16 21:27 CDT Valeri Nichushkin scores twice, Avalanche beat Blue Jackets 4-1
for fourth win of the season
Valeri Nichushkin scores twice, Avalanche beat Blue Jackets 4-1 for fourth win
of the season
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) --- Valeri Nichushkin scored two goals, Scott Wedgewood
stopped 22 shots and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1
on Thursday night to open the season on a five-game points streak.
Nichushkin scored in the second period on a tip-in and added an empty-net goal
with just under two minutes left to cap the Avalanche's fourth win in five
games (4-0-1) to open the season.
Colorado's Cale Makar scored in the second period to reach 434 points,
third-most by a defenseman through 400 games in NHL history behind Bobby Orr
(508) and Paul Coffey (475). The goal was Makar's 118th, moving him ahead of
George Boucher for fifth-most by a defenseman through 400 games.
Brock Nelson also scored for Colorado.
Columbus' Ivan Provorov had a goal in his 700th career game and Elvis
Merz?ikins had 32 saves.
Columbus signed Cam Atkinson to a one-day contract so he could retire with the
team before the game and Provorov opened the scoring early in the second
period, beating Wedgewood to the stick side on a wrist shot from the left
circle.
Makar tied it midway through the period, sending a wrist shot over Merz?ikins'
shoulder from the left circle.
Nelson scored his first of the season a little over a minute later, deflecting
a shot by Brent Burns through Merz?ikins' pads. Burns became the second
40-year-old in Avalanche history with a point streak of at least three games,
joining Ray Bourque (2000-01).
Nichushkin made it 3-1 with four seconds left in the period, deflecting Sam
Malinski's shot from between the circles past Merz?ikins. Nichushkin skated the
puck into the goal for his second of the season after Columbus pulled
Merz?ikins.
Up next
Avalanche: Host Boston on Saturday night.
Blue Jackets: Host Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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