The No. 1 objective for the Avs should be to get out of the first wild-card spot into the top three of the Central Division.

Joel Kiviranta has one goal in his last 21 ... a picture that is troublesome for the Avalanche. Part of that is Valeri Nichushkin being absent from the lineup. Part of it has to do with Jonathan ...

Given how much Bednar has liked a new-look third line, with Parker Kelly and Joel Kiviranta joining ... Gives us a couple of extra killers with (Valeri Nichushkin) out of the lineup.

Drury's presence and the return of Wood allowed Bednar to reunite the Joel Kiviranta ... offensively in the top six with the absence of Valeri Nichushkin. That's where Juuso Parssinen comes ...

Also, is Valeri Nichushkin any closer to returning ... I don’t believe Parker Kelly, Joel Kiviranta, and Wood should automatically be given full-time spots. When Nichushkin gets back, Juuso ...

Regular-season hockey for the Colorado Avalanche resumes on Saturday, and the lineup may look different than before the 4 ...

Nichushkin (lower body) is expected to be out of action through the 4 Nations Face-Off, Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette reports. Nichushkin has already missed 14 games due to his lower-body issue ...

In a corresponding move, Colorado has also placed winger Valeri Nichushkin on injured reserve retroactive to his last game on December 31st. Nichushkin is working through a lower-body injury and ...

Kiviranta scored a goal on two shots and added two PIM in Friday's 5-0 win over the Blues. Kiviranta snapped a 16-game goal drought, which began Dec. 27 after he had a hat trick versus the Kraken ...