Alexander Nikishin will make his NHL debut against the Washington Capitals in Game 5.
Nikishin was the first Carolina Hurricanes skater on the ice, taking his rookie lap before the rest of the Canes jumped on the ice for warmups. The 23-year-old defender will replace Jalen Chatfield in Carolina’s lineup, as Chatfield was a game-time decision due to an undisclosed injury.
Fellow countryman Dmitry Orlov will serve as his partner on the second defense pairing.
The Orel, Russia native also skated before Game 4 in Raleigh but ultimately did not dress in Carolina’s 4-2 victory. Thursday’s warm-up skate was only his second-ever time on the ice with the Hurricanes before a game.
Nikishin, a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, made his way to North America after SKA Saint Petersburg was eliminated in the first round of the Gagarin Cup Playoffs. On April 11, he had his KHL contract with SKA terminated and signed a two-year, entry-level deal with the Hurricanes.
In 61 games during the KHL regular season, Nikishin recorded 46 points (17g, 29a). He served as SKA’s captain and was teammates with former Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov and current Montreal Canadiens phenom Ivan Demidov.
The Hurricanes can eliminate the Capitals with a win in Game 5. If the Capitals win, the second-round series returns to Raleigh for Game 6 on Saturday.
