Avalanche’s X-factor against the Stars, and it isn’t Nathan MacKinnon

The Colorado Avalanche is one of the scariest teams in the NHL. An objective look at the roster reveals that the team is loaded with superstar players who can take over a game at any time.

As they line up against the Dallas Stars in their second-round series, it does not seem as if the Avs have to take a back seat to the team that won the Central Division title and earned the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

During the regular season, the Avs played well but still finished third behind the Stars and the Winnipeg Jets. There was a feeling that even though the Avs finished with a 50-25-7 record for 107 points, they could have done significantly better.

If head coach Jared Bednar had any regrets about the way Colorado played during the regular season, those have been filed away. The Avalanche rolled to a five-game win over the Jets in the first round of the playoff and have moved on to their confrontation with the Stars.

Colorado appeared to be outclassed in the early going of the opening game of the series as the Stars raced out to a 3-0 first period lead. However, the veteran Avs settled down in the second period and scored twice to get back in the game.

Superstar Nathan MacKinnon tied the score early in the third period and Miles Wood completed the comeback when he outraced the Stars defense in overtime and scored the winner past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.

MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Mikko Rantanen are remarkable game-breaking players, but as talented as they are, the Avs will need an X-factor player to make a key contribution as the series with the Stars moves along.

Valeri Nichushkin has the skill and the power to deliver key Avalanche goals

Nichushkin is a player who has come through for Bednar in the past and has more than enough talent to come through again.

He is a big man at 6-4 and 210 pounds, and when he plants himself in front of the net, he is difficult for opposing defensemen to move out of position. He is a very effective net-front player who can screen out Oettinger, tip shots from the point and also jump on rebounds.

During the regular season, Nichushkin banged home 28 goals and added 25 assists. He played in just 54 games during the regular season because he had a variety of problems, including a lower-body injury, illness and personal issues.

Nichushkin has been a game-changer to his point in the playoffs with 8 goals and an assists. He started the Avalanche comeback against the Stars in Game 1 with his second-period power play goal.

Stars coach Pete DeBoer knows that the Colorado power play can be lethal and if his team does not play with discipline, the Avs can turn any game in their favor with theirplay when they have a man advantage.

“We had the lead, went into the second period, turned the puck in the neutral zone, which led to a penalty,” DeBoer said. “We took another penalty 200 feet from our end. And you know, they’re a quick-strike team. You can’t make mistakes in those situations. Tough lesson to learn in Game 1, but glad you’re not learning it in Game 6 or 7 in an elimination game. We’ve got to be smarter than that. They’ve got that quick-strike ability that you have to be mentally sharp for 60 minutes in order to beat them.’’

Of course, MacKinnon, Makar and Rantanen are the biggest weapons for the Avs. But Nichushkin is in the next group and he is on a major roll at this point.

He is the X-factor in the series  for the Avalanche and it does not look like the Stars will slow him down any time soon.