COLORADO AVALANCHE (7-3-0) VS NEW JERSEY DEVILS (7-3-1)
8:00 PM MDT | BALL ARENA | WATCH: TNT| LISTEN: 92.5 FM
The Colorado Avalanche take on the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night at Ball Arena. The contest is the first of two matchups between the teams during the regular season. The Avalanche-Devils tilt can be watched nationally on TNT, with puck drop scheduled for 8:00 p.m. MDT.
Latest Results:
November 4, 2023 | VGK: 7, COL: 0
November 5, 2023 | NJD: 4, CHI: 2
HOME SWEET HOME
Following the road game in Vegas, Colorado returns home where the team enters with a perfect 3-0-0 record. The Avalanche are one of two teams who remain unbeaten at home this season, with the other team being the Hurricanes. When at Ball Arena this season, Colorado has picked up a 4-0 shutout win on October 19 against Chicago, a 6-4 win against Carolina on October 21, and a 4-1 win against St. Louis on November 1.
Mikko Rantanen continues to lead Colorado in points with 14 (6g/8a), followed by Cale Makar with 11 points (3g/8a). Artturi Lehkonen has seen the scoresheet in all three home games this season and leads the Avs in points at Ball Arena with six points (2g/4a). Lehkonen notched an assist against Chicago in the home opener, a goal and three assists against Carolina and a goal against St. Louis. The Avalanche go into tonight's matchup ranking third in the NHL on the penalty kill with 92.5% (37-for-40).
HISTORY
Colorado owns a 47-40-8-1 all-time record against New Jersey, with a 27-16-4-0 mark at home. Last season the Avalanche went 0-2-0 against the Devils falling short with a 1-0 loss at the Prudential Center on October 28 and dropping a 7-5 track meet in Denver on March 1. Colorado’s last win against New Jersey was during the 2021-22 campaign on March 14.
Tuesday’s matchup is the first of two games between the teams this season, with the other set for February 6 in Newark. The Avs go into tonight’s matchup following a 7-0 shutout loss to the 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights while the Devils posted a 4-2 win at Chicago despite not having Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier.
DEVILS DEN
Tyler Toffoli leads all-active Devils skaters with 20 career points (11g/9a) against the Avalanche. Of those 20 points, 13 (7g/6a) have been scored at Ball Arena. Five of Toffoli’s 11 goals have been scored on the power play.
Jesper Bratt is tied for fifth in points among the league's skaters with 18 points (7g/11a) in 11 games. His 11 assists rank tied for eighth. He collected his first career four-point game against the Wild on November 2.
Luke Hughes is tied for third in assists among the league's rookies with six assists and tied for fourth with seven points in 11 games.
Dawson Mercer notched four points (1g/3a) against the Avalanche last season, all of which came in the March 1 game at Ball Arena.
Jack Hughes enters today tied for second in the league with 20 points (5g/15a) while his 15 assists lead the league. However, the team announced Hughes is week-to-week due to injury after awkwardly falling into the boards on Friday in St. Louis.
New Jersey enters with the NHL’s best power-play at 42.9% (18-for-42).
NUMBERS GAME
17
Nathan MacKinnon paces active Avalanche scorers against the Devils with 17 points (6g/11a) in 17 games. When at home, MacKinnon has accumulated eight of those points (5g/3a). The centerman has recorded one power-play goal and four power-play assists in his career against the Devils.
2
Nathan MacKinnon, Valeri Nichushkin, and Artturi Lehkonen all notched two points over the two games against the Devils last season (MacKinnon, 2g/0a, 2 games; Nichushkin, 1g/1a, 1 game; Lehkonen, 0g/2a, 2 games).
402
Miles Wood is expected to face the Devils as an opponent for the first time in his career. Drafted by New Jersey in the fourth round (100th overall) in 2013, Wood played in 402 games for the club from 2015-23. The Buffalo, New York native signed a six-year contract with the Avalanche this past summer.
ANGELIC LEGACY OF PETER MCNAB
Although a year has gone by since the passing of Peter McNab, his life and legacy have not been forgotten. After McNab played 15 seasons in the NHL, accumulating 813 points (363g/450a) in 955 games in 1987 he retired from his playing career and transitioned into his post-playing career as a color analyst with the Devils. After trading his skates for a microphone and a broadcast booth, he spent eight years on air with the Devils broadcast before making his way to Colorado to broadcast with Altitude, covering all three of Colorado’s Stanley Cup championships (1996, 2001, 2022).
QUOTE(S) THAT LEFT A MARK
“We all try to play fast, we all try to play in straight lines, really just keep it simple and he does a great job of doing that. The amount of touches he gets makes it so much easier for me and Miles (Colorado LW Miles Wood). Just because, I feel like we’re getting so much more possession because he’s winning those puck races. He’s a great player, he plays with a great speed, so hopefully we can kind of keep some chemistry and keep it going.”
- Colorado Forward Ross Colton on playing with Logan O’Connor
