NHL roundup: Valeri Nichushkin makes winning return for Avs
In overtime, Valeri Nichushkin sealed his comeback with a power-play goal, giving the Colorado Avalanche a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Friday night in Denver.
At 2:32 of the extra session, Nichushkin, who had missed 22 games in the previous two months following his enrollment in the NHL/NHLPA player aid program, scored his 23rd goal of the year.
Nathan MacKinnon had two assists to extend his home point streak to 32 games, Artturi Lehkonen also had a goal and Alexandar Georgiev turned away 29 shots for the Avalanche. Brock Faber scored and Filip Gustavsson had 38 saves for Minnesota.
MacKinnon tied Guy Lafleur for the third-longest home point streak in NHL history. He can tie Wayne Gretzky for second if he gets a point in Colorado’s next home game, March 22 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Stars 6, Ducks 2
Roope Hintz had a goal and two assists as Dallas won in Anaheim to keep pace in its chase for a division crown. The first-place Stars hold a two-point lead on both Winnipeg and Colorado.
The Stars, who won their fourth straight game, got a goal and an assist apiece from Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski. Christopher Tanev, Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa also scored, and Jake Oettinger made 25 saves for the win.
Ryan Strome had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, and Alex Killorn scored a power-play marker. John Gibson stopped 30 of 36 shots.
Jets 3, Kraken 0
Mark Scheifele, Adam Lowry and Nikolaj Ehlers scored third-period goals and Laurent Brossoit earned his first shutout of the season as Winnipeg defeated host Seattle.
Brossoit made 17 saves, logging his fourth career shutout, as the Jets avenged a 4-3 loss to visiting Seattle on Tuesday. Winnipeg won for the 10th time in 13 games.
Joey Daccord stopped 29 of 31 shots for the Kraken, who had a two-game winning streak snapped.
Coyotes 4, Red Wings 0
Connor Ingram recorded his sixth shutout of the season, Nick Bjugstad had a goal and an assist and Arizona silenced slumping Detroit in Tempe, Ariz.
Ingram made 28 saves while notching his first win since Jan. 22, ending a 0-7-2 stretch. Jack McBain, Logan Kerfoot and Logan Cooley also scored for the Coyotes, who have won three of their past five games following a 14-game winless streak (0-12-2).
Alex Lyon made 20 saves for the Red Wings, who have lost four straight, including two shutout defeats.
