In their second meeting in as many weeks, the New Jersey Devils (8-5-0, 2nd Metropolitan) fell 5-2 to the Colorado Avalanche (7-5-1, 4th Central) at Ball Arena Wednesday night. It was an absolute trouncing from start to finish, and the Devils were fortunate to hang around for as long as they did.

Summary

First Period

Colorado got the better of New Jersey in terms of puck possession in the first period, but it would be the Devils who emerged with a 1-0 lead. The Avalanche outshot them 10-6 and earned a 67.86 Corsi-for percentage (CF%) at five-on-five. Jake Allen kept it clean, however, and the Devils’ defense kept Colorado at bay throughout the period.

The Avalanche got the only power play of the period, but it couldn’t have gone worse for the home team. Connor Brown intercepted a pass intended for Martin Necas, and Luke Hughes’ strong skating created an odd-man rush going the other way. Brown attempted a pass to Hughes, but it ricocheted off of Cale Makar and into Colorado’s net for a goal. The Devils’ stingy defense held firm against the Avs’ response, and the score held going into the first intermission.

Second Period

Colorado dominated the second period even more than they did in the first. They spent most of the period buzzing in the Devils’ zone, threatening to tie the game with every shift. It took half the period, but Gabriel Landeskog did just that when he scored on the power play off a heads-up feed through the crease from Jaden Schwartz.

The Devils got a golden opportunity late in the period with a pair of Colorado penalties to give them a brief five-on-three. They threatened to score with seconds left on the clock, but they would have to settle for a shortened five-on-four power play to start the third period.

The Avs had the Devils at their mercy in the second period, outshooting them 21-6 in the frame and 31-12 through the first two periods. Jake Allen kept the Devils in the game, stopping all but one of those shots. Through two periods, Colorado notched an 88.02 expected goals-for percentage (xGF%), and the Devils were lucky to go into the second intermission with the game tied at one apiece.

Third Period

The floodgates opened in the third period, however, as Colorado scored four goals to kill any hope of the Devils scraping by with a win. Nazem Kadri and Parker Kelly each scored early in the period to give the Avs a 3-1 lead. Then, Nathan MacKinnon and Jaden Schwartz scored goals within 30 seconds of each other to go up 5-1.

Connor Brown scored his second goal of the night late in the period to bring the Devils back to within three goals, but it would be of no consequence for the Devils. Although the Devils played a more even period on paper in the third, it was because the Avs took their foot off of the gas pedal as the clock wound down.

Results

Wednesday night was a rare blimp for this Devils team. The loss snapped their four-game winning streak. Still, a road game against Colorado, at altitude, and on the second leg of a back-to-back makes last night’s loss much easier to swallow. The Devils will look to quickly put this game in the rearview mirror and continue their strong run of form.

Game Notes

• Despite allowing five goals, Jake Allen played his part well for New Jersey. The fact that he finished with a positive goals saved above expected (GSAx) of 0.13 in an absolute blowout shows that he was not the problem. With Connor Hellebuyck set to take the reins as the starter, Allen will have to step back into his role as the backup, which will often entail taking the back half of a back-to-back and soaking up a ton of shots when the rest of the team is exhausted.
• The Devils’ lone bright spot was Connor Brown, who scored their only two goals. Brown has been an important role-player in the Devils’ bottom six since returning from injury last week, but the offense had not come easily for him before last night with only one assist. Those were his first goals of the year, and he now has three points in five games played.
• MacKenzie Blackwood got further revenge on his old team last night with a .909 SV% and 0.88 GSAx. Blackwood has a .971 career SV% in four games against the Devils.

Up Next

The Devils will finish off their road trip against the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday at 6:00 pn ET.