DENVER -- The Colorado Avalanche stars dominated headlines before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Valeri Nichushkin was dominant on the ice.
To the uninitiated, Nichushkin's terrific all-around performance in Colorado's 4-3 overtime victory in Game 1 against the Tampa Bay Lightning -- including a goal and a key assist on Andre Burakovsky's game-winner -- might have been surprising. He's easily the least heralded top-line skater in this series, hidden in the shadow of Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog.
Not anymore. Consider Wednesday's game a coming-out party for Nichushkin, who has many fans in the Avs dressing room, and whose value continues to climb.