The Avalanche could soon be getting a key player back in their lineup. Jesse Montano of Guerilla Sports relays ( Twitter link ) that winger Valeri Nichushkin was a full participant in practice today and while he won’t accompany the team on the road to play in Minnesota on Friday, he could return to the lineup Saturday versus Montreal. The 30-year-old has missed the last two weeks due to a lower-body injury. Nichushkin hadn’t been producing at quite the same rate as previous years in his first 17 outings this season but he still has five goals and seven assists to his name and should jump right back into a top-six role once he gets the green light.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

Bruins winger Matej Blumel will be out for a bit with a lower-body injury sustained in Wednesd

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