Avs Notebook: Nichushkin On A Roll, And Now Lehkonen May Be Back

Avs getting back in gear

The Avs hit the road for the next five games, three in Canada and another two in Boston and Philly. On the passenger manifest for the flight out to Toronto tomorrow will be Artturi Lehkonen, out since Nov. 11 with a neck injury following a borderline hit from Seattle’s Jamie Oleksiak.

It’s not for sure Lehkonen will play Saturday against the Maple Leafs, but the fact that he’s making the trip is great news for an Avs team coming off a great win over Vegas last night.

Alexandar Georgiev got the shutout, and seems to be playing with some real confidence again. His save percentage is still just .898, so no getting ahead of ourselves here. If he starts against Toronto, he’ll face a stiff test from one of othe best offensive teams in the league.

I liked the way the team checked last night, and if Lehkonen returns, the overall checking game will be that much better. He’s probably the team’s best defensive forward, one of the best in the league. Plus, he can score.

The Avs now have 57 points, one short of Winnipeg and Vancouver for tops in the West. The Avs typically do well on Eastern road trips, but there are some obvious tough ones coming, including in Boston. The Bruins no doubt will be highly motivated to repay the Avs for that exciting shootout win last week.

More notes and thoughts, including something on Landy: