The New Jersey Devils continue their road trip with a visit to the Colorado Avalanche, coming off of a strong 5-0 win over the Nashville Predators. It’s a late one tonight for Jersey, puck drop will be at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The last time these two teams met, the Avalanche put on a clinic, shutting out the Devils 4-0 at the Prudential Center. Scott Wedgewood, former Devils goaltender, saved 25 shots that night. Devils goaltender Jake Allen struggled in net, ending the night with a .870 save percentage (SV%). The energy for the Devils was not there the entire game and the Avalanche took every chance they could.
The Devils will have to keep all eyes on Nathan MacKinnon as he is having an amazing season thus far. He’s currently leading the NHL in points with 87, tied with Oilers superstar, Leon Draisaitl.
The special teams for the Devils will have to continue to be top tier against the Avalanche. The Devils power play and penalty kill both are ranked third in the NHL. The Avalanche’s penalty kill is ranked 13 and their power play is ranked 19.
Jesper Bratt is currently riding a 10-game point and assist streak and is leading the Devils with 68 points, tied with linemate Jack Hughes. Hughes had one assist and eight shots on net against the Predators on Sunday and two goals against the Stars on Saturday.
The Avalanche are coming off of a 3-1 loss against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Their defensive struggles led to their loss, but still recorded 29 shots.
The Devils and Avalanche are in very similar spots in the standings. The Devils have 70 points and a record of 32-21-6 while the Avalanche have 68 points and a record of 33-24-2. The Devils are 17-11-2 on the road, they are 3-2-0 in their last five games on the road.
The starting goaltenders for both teams are yet to be confirmed.
With this final run leading to the playoffs, the Devils want to gather as many points as possible. Will the Devils be able to tie the season series and grab two points?
Find out tonight, puck drop is at 9:30 p.m. ET!
