Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterMay 13, 2024, 09:30 PM ET
CloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
DENVER — Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said the pregame news of forward Valeri Nichushkin being suspended for at least six months was not “an excuse” for his team’s 5-1 loss Monday to the Dallas Stars in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinal series.
The Avalanche have lost three straight games since coming back to win the series opener, with the Stanley Cup contenders now facing elimination.
“We’re not going to use that as an excuse. We can’t. We won’t,” Bednar said. “Again, we treat it just like [Logan O’Connor] — injured, done for the year. You get news like that all the time. You continue to play with the players that you have, and we have the ability to play a heck of a lot better than we did today regardless of any news.”
The news of Nichushkin being placed in Stage 3 of the NHL/NHL Players’ Association player assistance program was announced a little more than an hour before puck drop. No further information was given about why Nichushkin was admitted into the program.
Avalanche forward Casey Mittelstadt said that he and a few teammates found out about Nichushkin as they entered Ball Arena hours before they took the ice for pregame skate.
“We’re hoping Val’s OK and hoping for the best for him,” Mittelstadt said.
Avalanche defenseman Jack Johnson told The Denver Post after the game, “[Nichushkin] made his decisions. That’s all I’m going to say on that. He made his decisions.”
Earlier in the day, Nichushkin was on the ice for morning skate. After the game, the Avalanche had already removed his nameplate from his stall in the team’s dressing room.
A league source told ESPN that the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program has four stages. Stage 1 is the first in-patient treatment for which there is no penalty. In Stage 2, following a violation of the Stage 1 treatment plan, a player can be suspended without pay during the active phase of treatment and then…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/40141984/avalanc-valeri-nichushkin-suspended-least-six-months
Author : Ryan S. Clark
Publish date : 2024-05-14 09:13:24
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