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Ahead 3-2 over the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Colorado Avalanche are looking to pull off a win on the road on Sunday and crown themselves Stanley Cup champions. They may have to do so without a key attacker on the ice for Game 6, however, as Valeri Nichushkin has been dealing with a lower-body injury. While Jared Bednar indicated Sunday morning that the Avalanche are hoping to have Nichuskin available, a recent update from TSN's Ryan Rishaug has cast serious doubt as to the forward's availability.
Nichushkin just limped past the media on the way in to the rink wearing a bath slipper on his right foot. Totally hobbled.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) June 26, 2022
Rishaug indicates that Nichushkin hobbled past the media room on his way to the rink roughly two hours before tipoff on Sunday. While limping past the media, Nichushkin was reportedly wearing a bath slipper on his right foot.
That's a sign that certainly doesn't bode well for Nichushkin's availability on Sunday night. He missed the Avs' morning skate, along with Gabriel Landeskog, Andre Burakovsky, and Nazem Kadri, and now it looks like there's a real chance he'll be forced to miss a playoff game for the first time this postseason.
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Nichushkin has been electric for the Avs in the playoffs. The Avalanche forward has registered 15 points in 19 games in the playoffs, including 9 goals and 6 assists. He's taken 68 shots on target throughout the playoffs, constantly serving as a threat to find the back of the net.
Bednar has yet to rule him out for the game, so it looks as if Nichushkin will be a true game-time decision for the Avs on Sunday. If he's unable to play, it'll be a big loss for Colorado, especially on the road up against one of the world's most formidable goaltenders in Andrei Vasilevskiy.
UPDATE: Nichushkin managed to skate during warmups and it appears he will battle through the injury and play in Game 6, a huge boost for the Avs. It's unclear if he'll be under any form of restrictions for the game.
