The Colorado Avalanche reached New Jersey on the second night of a quick two-game road trip and were expected to turn to Scott Wedgewood in goal after Mackenzie Blackwood took the loss in Philadelphia. With no extra skater traveling, Colorado arrived thin, tired and trying to leave with a win before heading back to the Mile High city.
The timing matters because the Avalanche had little room to reset after losing last night, while the Devils had more rest after their loss to the Washington Capitals on Saturday afternoon. That sets up a direct test of legs and structure, with Jake Allen expected in net for New Jersey and Wedgewood carrying a.902 save percentage and a 2.40 goals against average into the matchup.
Colorado’s attack still has a top-end shape to lean on. Nathan MacKinnon had 16 points and six goals, Artturi Lehkonen had six goals and nine points, Martin Necas had 11 points and Cale Makar had nine. Those numbers give the Avalanche a scoring base even as the schedule compresses around them, and they leave no margin for another flat opening on short rest.
New Jersey brings a different kind of uncertainty. The Devils were 4-4 with a minus-2 goal differential, and Jack Hughes led the club with nine points in eight games while Jesper Bratt had seven points and Nico Hischier led with four goals. That mix has kept the underlying numbers respectable, but the results have not followed, and the blame has landed on goaltending even as the team’s analytics have stayed strong enough to argue it should be better than its record.
There is also a cleaner hockey reason this game feels tilted toward Colorado’s bench decision: Wedgewood has started only two games, while Blackwood had seven. Logan O’Connor cannot play until he is off LTIR after missing 10 games, and Zach L’Heureux and Nic Roy were still away, so the Avalanche had to manage the night with the roster they brought. That leaves the next outcome riding on whether Colorado can survive the kind of start that often decides games before the first intermission.
