Valeri Nichushkin took strides to take his hard-checking, goal-scoring game to another level this season. Same with his life away from the rink, his Colorado Avalanche teammates, coach and GM maintain.

As if Mikko Rantanen playing his old team wasn't enough, the Stars and Avalanche series is starting to ooze with storylines.

Looking to bet on the Stanley Cup playoffs? Take advantage of this Bet365 bonus code NYPBET and get a $150 bonus for placing a $5 bet, win or lose. The odds for this series opened as a coin flip, and Game 1 followed suit, but it’s been one-way traffic since, with the Avs getting a ton of support from the betting market.