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Valeri Nichushkin, Mikko Rantanen power Avalanche past Golden Knights

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Valeri Nichushkin, Mikko Rantanen power Avalanche past Golden Knights


The past two Stanley Cup champions are both missing key players but remain near the top of the NHL standings. When they met Wednesday night at Ball Arena, one certainly looked ready to make another deep playoff run.

Valeri Nichushkin scored a pair of power-play goals and the Colorado Avalanche cruised past the Vegas Golden Knights in a 3-0 victory that at times did not look as close as the scoreboard indicated. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves, and all of Colorado’s top offensive players had a strong night against the defending champions.

“When we play the best we can, we have an opportunity to win no matter who is in our lineup,” Avs forward Andrew Cogliano said. “We’ve lost guys, but our top guys are on another level. Those guys are playing so well right now that it forces other guys to play at another level as well.”

Vegas crushed Colorado in the first meeting between the clubs, but this was a very different game. The Avs have now won 11 of 15 games in the past month (11-3-1) and the past two — this one and a 4-3 shootout win against the Boston Bruins — were arguably the most impressive.

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“We’re playing great defense right now,” Georgiev said. “Especially this game, we didn’t give them too many odd-man rushes in the zone. Everybody’s playing smart, and the forwards are coming back (to help) our ‘D’ now.”

Nichushkin gave the Avs the lead with 13.8 seconds left in the first period. He drew a penalty 10 seconds before the goal, then scored on a one-timer from Mikko Rantanen in front of the Vegas net.

Colorado’s second goal looked a lot like the first, with a little more panache. All five members of the top power-play unit touched the puck in rapid succession. Jonathan Drouin set up Nathan MacKinnon with a cross-ice pass for a one-timer.

After MacKinnon’s shot hit the side of the net, Rantanen backhanded a between-the-legs pass to Nichushkin, who was waiting in the same spot for another one-timer.

“I think there’s really good decision making by those guys right now,” Avs coach Jared Bednar said. “The execution is high. … The execution within the game plan and the recognition of what teams are giving us and what could be open is what’s really amped up from the players.”

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With two more power-play goals, Nichushkin is second in the league with 13, one behind Florida’s Sam Reinhart. Eighteen of Nichushkin’s 22 goals have come in the high-danger area in front of the opposing goal crease, according to NHL Edge.

Nichushkin now has 22 goals this season, which is tied for the team lead with MacKinnon and three shy of his career high. The two are tied for eighth in the NHL, while Rantanen is one behind them. The Avs remain the only team in the league with three 20-plus goal scorers.

MacKinnon tied Joe Sakic’s franchise record by scoring at least one point in 23 consecutive home games. He has at least a point in every home game this season, and it’s now tied for the third-longest streak in NHL history.

This wasn’t a fully healthy Golden Knights team. Vegas is currently without defenseman Shea Theodore, forward William Karlsson and both of its top two goaltenders. The Golden Knights had to turn to No. 3 goalie Jiri Patera, and he was the biggest reason why Colorado did not turn this into a rout in the second period.

Colorado played a second straight game without both of its second-pairing defensemen (Bowen Byram and Josh Manson), and remained short two top-nine forwards (Artturi Lehkonen and Miles Wood). Manson and Wood should be back soon, while Lehkonen has progressed to taking contact in practice and will join the Avs on this upcoming five-game road trip.

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Two games ago, the Avs lost 8-4 at home to Florida and both goaltenders struggled. Georgiev was good against Boston and great against Vegas.

His coach called it a perfect game. His home fans spent the final minute or so of the contest chanting his name.

“Really cool,” Georgiev said. “You try to appreciate it, but at the same time not give too much attention there because you still have the game to play. But I appreciate that a lot.”

Footnotes: Isaiah Saville, who played for the Colorado Thunderbirds during the 2016-17 season, was a late addition to Vegas’ lineup as the backup goalie.



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Denver, CO

Packers monitoring their backfield entering key game in Denver

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Packers monitoring their backfield entering key game in Denver


True to form, Jacobs pushed to practice but said team doctors told him to chill and be smart about it. The goal is to reduce the inflammation as much as possible to increase his chances of playing.

In his pre-practice news conference on Thursday, Head Coach Matt LaFleur praised Jacobs for “doing everything in his power to get ready to go.” From his perspective, Jacobs said he feels more relief than frustration.

“I’ve been in this league a long time, and it’s not too much that really gets me discouraged or anything like that,” Jacobs said.

“We still know what’s ahead of us. Now, if we were having this going into the playoffs, it would be a little weird, but at that point I wouldn’t care because it’s either do or don’t. But for me, I know my body, there’s nothing structurally wrong, so I don’t feel like it’s something I have to overly think about.”

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If Jacobs can’t go Sunday, Wilson would be in line to make his second NFL start against the team with whom he broke into the league back in 2023.

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of NCAA Division II Fort Valley State (Ga.), Wilson spent just three days with the Broncos before he was released. Ten days later, he signed with the Packers and later made the team’s 53-man roster.

The 5-foot-10, 226-pound Wilson has since rushed for 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 205 carries (4.6 yards per carry) in 37 games, highlighted by a gratifying career day against Minnesota a few weeks ago.

“I still got that mentality to go out there and do it again,” Wilson said. “If (Jacobs) is going, he’s going. If I get my opportunity once again, I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Whoever starts against Denver understands the challenge its defense presents. In addition to the Broncos pacing the NFL with 55 sacks, they also boast a No. 2-ranked run defense that’s allowing just 89.0 yards per game.

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Denver hasn’t allowed a running back to gain more than 100 yards since Jonathan Taylor’s 165-yard effort powered Indianapolis to a 29-28 victory in Week 2.

As much as Jacobs enjoys practicing, he doesn’t feel it’s a requirement in order for him to play in Denver. It all comes down to how his body is feeling and whether the team doctors give him the green light on Sunday afternoon.

“I always plan to play,” Jacobs said. “They gotta kinda tell me I can’t play for me not to play. For me, that’s where my head is at, but I’m also realistically just day-to-day right now.”



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Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs

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Game Thread: Denver Nuggets vs Sacramento Kings. December 11th, 2025. – Denver Stiffs


Community Guidelines

Welcome to Denver Stiffs! We’re glad you’re here.

Denver Stiffs is a community where sports fans from all backgrounds gather to share their passion. We strive to create a fun and welcoming place for everyone to come fan with us. These guidelines help ensure that happens. Here’s the short version:

  • Be respectful in your interactions with contributors and fellow fans.
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  • We ask that you do your best to keep the conversation to sports and primarily our favorite NBA team. Why? Because there are plenty of other sites where you can air your opinions about everything from politics to soup recipes.
  • You can help with that. If you see something that doesn’t align with our guidelines, let us know. Flag any comments or usernames that violate our guidelines so our community managers can review them.

These rules extend to our communities everywhere: in our comments, on social media, and in real life.

We do not allow any of the following:

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  • Personal attacks: This includes name-calling, insults, threats, hurtful comments about someone’s appearance, voice, or style, and all other forms of attacks. We want our communities to be welcoming and fun. Personal attacks are the opposite of that.
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  • The “first post” rule: If you break any of these guidelines with your very first post or interaction, it signals to our community managers you’re just here to be disruptive. Violators may be banned, blocked, or removed.
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Anyone who doesn’t follow these rules when engaging in our communities will at best be removed from the conversation, and at worst will end up banned from that community. These decisions will be made at the discretion of our community managers and other Mile High Sports personnel. Community managers and moderators have final say on interpretation of violating our community guidelines, and on all decisions resulting in a warning, suspension, and/or ban.

If you see any of these things happening in our communities, please flag it and it will be reviewed. You can also reach out via our contact page.



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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine

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Things To Do In And Around Denver This Weekend – 12/11-12/14 – 303 Magazine


When: Dec 7, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Where: Fight Club – 1959 16th St Mall Denver
Cost: Price varies
The Lowdown: 

Guests have the option of $39 bottomless flatbreads, which includes the price of their oche reservation for Social Darts®. The bottomless flatbread menu features Smoked Salmon Flatbread, Four Cheese Flatbread, Breakfast Flatbread, or Garden Vegetable Flatbread. Guests can also order off the á la carte menu, which includes a fresh-cut fruit plate, breakfast sliders,, avocado toast, and Flight Club’s famous churros.





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