The Colorado Avalanche are taking the Tampa Bay Lightning to the woodshed in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and that's saying a lot, considering that the Bolts are the reigning and defending two-time NHL champions. But the reality of the situation is simply that the Avs are so far too much to handle for Jon Cooper's men.
And the Avs player punishing the Lightning the most is also probably not among the top three guys many would have guessed to make a big impact through the first two games. That would be Valeri Nichushkin, who is having quite a blast out there on the ice.
Via NHL Public Relations:
Valeri Nichushkin became the sixth player since 1990 to collect multiple points in each of the first two games of the Stanley Cup Final, joining Chris Kunitz (2017), Justin Williams (2014), Mario Lemieux (1992), Rick Tochhet (1992) and Ray Bourque (1990).
Nichushkin scored a goal in Game 1 and has already scored a pair after just two period in Game 2. It really pays to play on alongside the likes of Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, and Mikko Rantanen, but that shouldn't also take away a lot from Nichushkin's ability to make an impact on his own.
The 27-year-old Nichushkin is set to hit free agency in the 2022 NHL offseason when his two-year $5 million deal with the Avalanche expires. With the way he's shown up in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, expect his value on the FA market to further shoot up.
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