Valeri Nichushkin is turning into a star against Lightning in Stanley Cup Final

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Valeri Nichushkin stood in front of a poster of Alex Ovechkin hoisting the Stanley Cup on the eve of his first trip to the final and remembered what it was like to witness that moment.

"That was fun to watch when Ovi win it, especially when he celebrated," he said. "I think that was one of the best things."

One thing better for Nichushkin would be hoisting hockey’s holy grail himself.

"I hope so," he said. "We’ll see."

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Colorado Avalanche right wing Valeri Nichushkin (13) celebrates his goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning with right wing Mikko Rantanen (96) defenseman Josh Manson (42) and defenseman Bowen Byram (4) during the second period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Saturday, June 18, 2022, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Nichushkin and the Colorado Avalanche are two wins away from doing just that, and the big Russian winger is a big reason why they'll take a 2-1 lead over the back-to-back defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning into Game 4 on Wednesday. He was tied for the team lead in goals with three, set up Andre Burakovsky for his overtime winner in the series opener and scored in Game 3 before it was called back for an oh-so-close offside.

He has consistently been the best player on the ice in the final, hounding the puck, forcing turnovers and creating offense.

"He’s built for this time of year," coach Jared Bednar said. "Big, long, strong, fast, tenacious, hungry, relentless on the puck, finishing off the chances he gets. He can play with top guys. You can move him up and down the lineup, plays power play, penalty kill. I mean, I don’t know what