The Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Wednesday at Ball Arena, breaking a tie game with four goals in the third period. Nazem Kadri scored once and added an assist for two points to lead Colorado, which improved to 7-5-1.
The Avalanche trailed 1-0 after the first period before Gabriel Landeskog tied it in the second. New Jersey’s Connor Brown scored twice, but his first goal in the opening period was the only lead the Devils would hold. Jake Allen made 39 saves on 44 shots for a .886 save percentage in the loss as New Jersey fell to 8-5-0.
Key Moments: How Colorado Pulled Away
Connor Brown opened the scoring for New Jersey at 12:21 of the first period with an unassisted wrist shot. The Devils carried that 1-0 edge into the second, when Landeskog tied it at 10:58 with a snap shot assisted by Jaden Schwartz and Devon Toews.
Kadri gave Colorado the lead at 2:45 of the third period on a snap shot, assisted by Nicolas Roy and Brent Burns, making it 2-1. Parker Kelly added another just over a minute later at 3:47, assisted by Brent Burns and Fedor Svechkov, making it 3-1.
Colorado kept pulling away. Nathan MacKinnon scored at 12:00 for a 4-1 lead, assisted by Artturi Lehkonen and Sam Malinski, and Jaden Schwartz added another at 12:30 to push it to 5-1. Brown’s second goal of the night, a backhand at 15:35 assisted by Amadeus Lombardi and Cody Glass, set the final margin at 5-2.
Top Performers
Kadri led Colorado with a goal and an assist for two points, while Sam Malinski recorded two assists. MacKinnon added a goal and two shots on goal in 19 minutes of ice time. Brent Burns factored into two of Colorado’s third-period goals with a pair of assists.
For New Jersey, Brown’s two goals topped all skaters. Allen made 39 saves on 44 shots for a .886 save percentage, while Colorado goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 20 of 22 shots for a .909 mark.
Avalanche Vs. Devils By The Numbers
Colorado out-shot New Jersey 44-22, nearly doubling the Devils’ shot total over 60 minutes. The Avalanche also won the special-teams battle, converting 1 of 2 power-play chances for a 50% rate while holding New Jersey scoreless on three man-advantage opportunities. Colorado won 36 of 67 faceoffs for a 53.7% win rate, compared to New Jersey’s 46.3%.
New Jersey did score a short-handed goal, the only one of the game. The Devils out-hit Colorado 17-11, though the Avalanche’s shot volume proved decisive.
What It Means
The result keeps Colorado at 15 points in the Central Division. New Jersey remains second in the Metropolitan Division at 16 points, trailing only Carolina. The season series between the two teams is now tied 1-1.
What’s Next
Colorado continues its homestand against the Nashville Predators, a matchup the Avalanche previewed ahead of Sunday’s game. New Jersey will look to bounce back after also dropping a recent decision covered in Capitals beat Devils 4-2. The Devils previewed this matchup against Colorado in a piece looking at the season series between the two clubs before puck drop.
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