It took 25 seconds for Valeri Nichushkin to make an impact Wednesday night.
Nichushkin hadn’t played in 21 games because of a lower-body injury, but his return was a successful one in a 5-1 thumping of the New Jersey Devils. And it started right from his first shift.
New Jersey defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic attempted an outlet pass from below his goal line. The puck was heading to the right of the left-shooting Nichushkin. He spun and whacked it out of mid-air, sending back toward the Devils goal line with a backhanded swat.
Jonathan Drouin was there to stop the puck, kick it to himself and return it to Nichushkin for a one-timer from the left faceoff dot.