Valeri Nichushkin Back in Avalanche Lineup Saturday Night vs. Flames

The Colorado Avalanche are getting a significant piece back for Saturday’s much-anticipated matchup with the Calgary Flames.

Peter Baugh of The Athletic reports that forward Valeri Nichushkin will return to the lineup after missing two games due to an upper-body injury.

Darcy Kuemper will be back in net tonight, per Jared Bednar. Valeri Nichushkin will play. Bednar hasn't decided on who the healthy scratch will be. #Avs

— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) March 5, 2022

Nichushkin is enjoying his best season since joining the Avs in 2019, scoring 14 goals with 15 helpers in 37 games. The 27-year-old winger has been a fixture on Colorado’s second line and second power-play unit, logging almost 18 minutes of ice time per game.

The Avalanche come into this one winners of four of their past five, but their most recent outing was a disappointing 2-1 road loss to the lowly Arizona Coyotes. The Flames are coming off a stunning defeat of their own, falling 5-4 at home to the Montreal Canadiens.

The Avs sit atop the Western Conference, 13 points ahead of the second-place Flames. FanDuel Sportsbook has Colorado as -1.5 favorites on the spread and -160 on the moneyline.