The 5-foot-2-inch Defensive Lineman

Sleepless in Seattle, Doomed in Denver. Two straight postseasons. Two straight playoff exits for Valeri Nichushkin. It’s been real, Val. Lord, it’s been glorious. But this is your stop. The Avalanche title train needs engines it can rely on. You weep for the man. You rage at the loss. You wonder about the Avs front office, which circled the wagons, protected and enabled their troubled winger.

SAN DIEGO — For many major league pitchers, Colorado is Siberia, and Coors Field might as well be a gulag. That’s why Cal Quantrill’s early success with the Rockies has been so compelling. The right-hander didn’t choose to be exiled to the majors’ most hitter-friendly ballpark. The Rockies acquired him in a trade with Cleveland last November in exchange for minor-league catcher Kody Huff. So far, it’s looked like a smart move by general manager Bill Schmidt.

The hits keep coming for the suddenly shorthanded Colorado Avalanche. Defenseman Devon Toews will not play in Game 4 against the Dallas Stars because of an illness, a team spokesman confirmed after he did not take part in warmups at Ball Arena. The Avalanche is also going to be without Valeri Nichushkin, who was suspended for a minimum of six months without pay and placed in Stage 3 of the NHL-NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the league and players association announced about an hour before Game 4. Toews is obviously a critical part of the Avalanche team.

Valeri Nichushkin is done for the rest of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Colorado Avalanche forward has been placed in Stage 3 of the Player Assistance Program, the NHLPA and NHL announced Monday. Under the terms of the joint program, Nichushkin will be suspended without pay for a minimum of six months and then will be eligible to apply for reinstatement. The news came roughly an hour before the Avs were set to play the Dallas Stars on Monday night at Ball Arena in Game 4 of their second-round Stanley Cup Playoff series.

Colorado’s return to Lincoln will be on national television. On Monday, it was announced that CU’s football game on Sept. 7 at Nebraska will kick off at 5:30 p.m. MT and air on NBC. The network announced the game time as part of its Upfront presentation, showcasing the network’s portfolio of sports, entertainment, news and streaming platforms to advertisers. CU kicks off its season under head coach Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders on Aug.

Sean Keeler: Just like they drew it up, right? OK, so maybe the Nuggets took the long way — about 1,820 miles up and back from the Twin Cities — to grab home court again. But Lady Mo(mentum) is Lady Mo, and we’ve got a best-of-three on the hoops side.