Wednesday, the New Jersey Devils (8-4-0) will hunt for a fifth-straight win as they take on the Colorado Avalanche (6-5-1).
Match Overview
Life is good right now in Devils world. Following their dominating 5-1 win last night over the Stanley Cup-contending Dallas Stars, New Jersey has now won four in a row and sits in second place in the Metropolitan Division. The most exciting part of the win Tuesday night, though, was the man in net. Connor Hellebuyck made his Devils debut and saved 17 of 18 shots en route to his first win with New Jersey. He’ll take a well-deserved day off, giving Jake Allen the crease for Colorado.
Allen will be forced to face a dynamic Avalanche offense. Led by Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Cale Makar, the Avalanche scored the most goals in the entire NHL last year on their way to the Presidents’ Trophy. They haven’t necessarily slowed down this year, either. Their 49 goals rank fourth in the entire NHL.
Allen does have experience with this Avalanche team, though. He was the starting goalie in a 4-3 Devils win last Tuesday, making 31 saves in the process. The meeting tonight will be the final time these two teams play this season.
Line Combinations
Devils
Forwards
Gritsyuk-Hughes-Bratt
Meier-Hischier-Evangelista
Mantha-Rodrigues-Boqvist
Lombardi-Glass-Brown
Defense
Hughes-Pesce
Siegenthaler-Hamilton
Chisholm-Kovacevic
Goalies
Allen
Poirier
Avalanche
Forwards
Lehkonen-MacKinnon-Necas
Landeskog-Nelson-Roy
Schwartz-Kadri-Hughes
Kelly-Svechkov-O’Connor
Defense
Toews-Makar
Kulak-Malinski
Manson-Burns
Goalies
Blackwood
Wedgewood
Keys to the Game
Block Out the Noise
The Devils will be going into an environment Wednesday night where it is very hard to win hockey games. Since the start of last season, Colorado holds a 30-10-7 home record, including a 4-1-1 record to begin this season.
The Devils especially find it hard to win at Ball Arena. They have lost six of their last seven games in the arena, being outscored 33-17 in that stretch. Whether it’s the altitude or the craziness of Ball Arena, the Devils have struggled mightily in Colorado.
Keep the Shots Going
The Devils made history Tuesday night. They outshot their opponents for a 12th-straight game to begin the year, marking the franchise’s longest streak to begin a season. That included putting 41 shots on the Avalanche in their meeting last week. Colorado has a 43-12-9 record since the start of last year when outshooting their opponents, so continuing this trend will be vital to a fifth straight Devils win.
Where to Watch
Wednesday’s puck drop is at 9:00 pm ET, and the game can be found on MSGSN.