Devils Welcome Avs Following Break | PREVIEW

New Jersey returns from its All-Star break and bye week to host the Colorado Avalanche Tuesday night at Prudential Center. Puck drop is 7:38 p.m. ET.

You can watch on ESPN+ or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below.

PRE-GAME STORY

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a morning skate Tuesday afternoon before hosting the Colorado Avalanche.

Center Jack Hughes participated in a normal contact jersey, though there isn’t much contact at morning skates. Defenseman John Marino was absent from the skate.

Hughes will not play tonight, but wearing a regular jersey is a step in the right direction. Marino was given a maintenance day and is expected to play.

"He keeps getting closer. Today another step closer,” Ruff said of Hughes. “Get a good workout in. Tomorrow is a day off for the team and we'll evaluate where he's at. We'll see for (Thursday's) Calgary game."

The team used the following groupings…

Palat – Hischier – Bratt
Toffoli – Haula – Mercer
Meier – Lazar – Bastian
Tierney – Nosek – Holtz

Bahl – Nemec
Hughes – DeSimone
Hatakka – Miller

Vanecek working the starter’s end.

Nosek Returns

Devils forward Tomas Nosek will be back in the lineup tonight for the team. It will be his first game since Nov. 18. He missed nearly three months with a broken foot. The Czechia forward will be playing in just his seventh game with the team this season.

“I’m excited. I can’t wait for puck drop,” Nosek said. “To be able to be back on the ice and play again is great.”

Avalanche of a Challenge

The Devils host the Avalanche and superstar Nate MacKinnon. He scored his 32^nd goal and 85^th point last night against the New York Rangers, tying him for the NHL scoring race lead.

“I’m talking about a world-class player that will generate his own opportunities,” Ruff said. “It’s understanding when he’s on the ice how simple you have to play. You can’t fuel his offense. You can’t give him extra chances.”

Welcome Back

Former Devil Miles Wood will be playing in Prudential Center for the first time as an opponent. Wood, who played his first seven NHL seasons in Jersey, signed with Colorado in the offseason.

“We understand he’s going to be pretty excited playing in the game,” Ruff said. “He’s a long-time Devil. Everybody that comes back to their previous team wants to have a great night. He’s got great speed. We can’t let him get a step on you.”

Wood has already faced his former squad, scoring a shorthanded goal and adding an assist for two points in an Avalanche win.

On-Ice Message

Ruff typically addresses his team after the video meeting. But today he decided to talk to the team on the ice following the morning skate. His message?

“We just talked about how we need to play coming out of the break,” Ruff said. “What’s going to be important playing against Colorado. We have to play fast. I talked a little bit about our third period against Tampa.

“Part 2 was stay away from the big mistakes.”

PREVIEW

DEVILS (24-20-3) vs. AVALANCHE (32-14-4)

Head-to-Head

The Devils and Avalanche meet for the second and final time this season. It’s also the only meeting in New Jersey. Colorado notched a 6-3 win in Denver on Nov. 7 this season.

Dougie Hamilton and Tyler Toffoli each posted a goal and assist for two points in the effort. Mikko Rantanen scored two goals and three points, while Cale Makar added three assists. Former Devil Miles Wood scored a shorthanded goal and had two points against his old team.

Devils Team Scope:

The Devils entered the bye week and All-Star break having lost two straight and five of their last seven.

They have some ground to make up in the race for a playoff spot in the Wild Card chase. New Jersey’s 51 points in 47 games has them in the fifth position, seven points out of the final playoff spot held by Detroit (58 points). The Red Wings have played three more games than the Devils.

The biggest reason for the Devils’ struggles has been the injuries the club has endured. Forward Tomas Nosek (out since Nov. 18 with a broken foot) has resumed practicing with the team. All-Star forward Jack Hughes (out since Jan. 5 with an upper-body injury) started practicing with the team in a non-contact fashion.

Forward Jesper Bratt, who replaced Hughes in the NHL’s All-Star Game last weekend, leads the team with 31 assists and 50 points. Tyler Toffoli has a team-best 21 goals to go with 34 points. Despite having missed 15 games this season, Hughes is still second on the team in scoring with 45 points. Rookie blueliner Luke Hughes paces the backend with eight goals and 26 points.

Avalanche Team Scope:

The Colorado Avalanche begin a massive six-game road trip to come out of the All-Star break with stops in New York (Rangers), Devils, Carolina, Florida, Washington and Tampa Bay. The Avalanche play the Devils on the second half of a back-to-back, losing to the Rangers Monday night, 2-1 in overtime.

The Avalanche ranked first in the Central Division with 68 points, two ahead of Dallas. The club has won seven of its last 10 games (7-2-1), and 11 of its last 15 (11-3-1).

The Avs are led by superstar Nathan MacKinnon. He has 32 goals and 85 points in 50 games to tie for the NHL scoring race lead. He’s followed by Mikko Rantanen, who has 27 goals and 66 points. Norris Trophy-candidate Cale Makar leads the blue line with 12 goals, 47 assists and 59 points. From there, the Avalanche have a considerable drop in production. Devon Toews is fourth on the team in scoring with 29 points.

Last week, the Avalanche also signed former Devil Zach Parise, who played last season with the New York Islanders. He made his Avalanche debut against the Rangers. 

By the Numbers:

New Jersey defensemen have combined for eight power-play goals this season, which ranks tied for first in the NHL with Edmonton, per Feb. 5.

Luke Hughes’ 26 points (8g-18a) are ranked second for the most points that a rookie blueliner earned this season (B. Faber, 29).

MacKinnon was named the NHL’s First Star for the month of January. He notched 12 goals and 26 points, which included five game-winning goals, in 12 games.

MacKinnon posted his 85th point of the season Monday night at Madison Square Garden. He is the first player in franchise history to tally 85 points in the first 50 games of the season. 

Injuries:

Devils

Hamilton (pectoral muscle - LTIR)
Nosek (foot - IR)
Smith (sprained knee - IR)
J. Hughes (upper-body - day-to-day)
Siegenthaler (broken foot - IR)

Avalanche

Francouz (lower-body)
Landeskog (knee)