Athletistic/Hockey. “Colorado” brilliantly handled “Tampa” in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals (7-0). The start of the rout was posed by the precise throwing of the Russian Valery Nichushkin. In the second period, the 27-year-old Avalanche forward scored twice.

So, in the current NHL playoffs, Nichushkin has 13 (8+5) points in 16 games.

Colorado leads the series 2-0. The teams will play the next game on the night of June 21, Moscow time, at the Lightning site.

Here’s how Nichushkin’s brilliant game was appreciated by overseas hockey fans on social media:

@GrumpyWhenWoke:

– The whole team played amazing, but Nichushkin and Makar acted fantastically!

@DuaneS39:

– After the end of this season, Nichushkin will receive a very big contract, being in the free agent market without restrictions.

@Mangiotto:

– Drive a Nichushkin truck full of cash! He should stay on this team.

@Birbplswin:

– Nichushkin has a real shot at winning the “Conn Smythe Trophy” after two playoff ties with zero points scored. This guy made a huge difference.

@MoffittMC:

– Nichushkin’s sniper stats in this playoff blow me away.

@BurnerFaith:

– This season, Val earned 8 million per year for a future contract.

@therealMAK0321:

– Nichushkin is a real monster, I’ve been talking about it since the beginning of the season.

AVSfan2daMAX:
– It was probably his best game in the playoffs.

Littleton hockey coach:
– Good performance. Nichushkin on fire!

Colorado Avalanche:
– The bomb man!

Kraft D:
This guy can’t be stopped!

pierce hawthorn:
– You really should try to keep it by all means.

@KJ_Jeff_South:

– Nichushkin plays at the level of a hockey player who should receive the Conn Smythe Trophy.

@Jamuckley:

– Nichushkin is a real discovery of this playoff. We in Colorado knew he was good, but now the rest of the league is drooling over him.

@BR_OpenIce:

– Nichushkin has 5 goals in the last 4 games, 2 goals in the most important game today. Maybe he’s a dark horse for the playoff MVP award?

@whoshlandy:

– At 27, Val hasn’t become a father yet, but after today’s game he has every right to be considered a dad to Tampa players.

Recall Nichushkin – bronze medalist of the World Youth Championship in 2013. Silver medalist of the KHL 2012/2013 season in the Chelyabinsk “tractor”. Winner of the “Best Rookie of the KHL” award named after Alexei Cherepanov in the 2012/2013 season.

He started his professional career in the MHL, in the 2011/2012 season in the youth club “Polar Bears”. November 21, 2012 made his debut in the KHL as part of the Chelyabinsk “tractor”. He scored his first KHL goal on January 8, 2013 in a game against Slovan Bratislava.

He was selected 10th overall by the Dallas Stars in the 2013 NHL Draft. Shortly before the draft, Nichushkin declared Dallas his first pick. On July 8, 2013, the Dallas Stars announced the signing of Nichushkin to a standard three-year rookie contract.

On October 20, 2013, in an away game against Anaheim, in which his team lost 3-6, Nichushkin earned his first NHL point with an assist.

Before the start of the 2014/15 season, Nichushkin suffered a hip injury. He spent only four games in the “Dallas”, without scoring them points, and then was transferred to the farm club “Texas Stars”. On November 19, he underwent hip surgery.

On August 19, 2019, he signed a one-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. On November 23, 2019, he scored against the Toronto Maple Leafs and ended his 91 game scoreless streak. In the fall of 2020, he extended his contract with Colorado for 2 years with an average annual salary of $2.5 million.

In the regular season of the 2021/22 NHL season, Nichushkin showed the best numbers for himself: in 62 games he scored 52 (25 + 27) points.

For the junior team of Russia, Nichushkin twice participated in the junior world championships (2012, 2013).

At the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, he became a bronze medalist in the Russian youth team. In the match for the third place with the Canadian team, Nichushkin scored the decisive goal in extra time and brought victory to the Russian team (5:6).

On January 7, 2014, Nichushkin entered the list of players of the Russian national team for the 2014 Winter Olympics. On February 13, 2014, in his first match for the national team against the Slovenian team, he scored the puck.

Andrei Lipatov, Sport.Ru