New Jersey Devils 2–5 Colorado Avalanche: match recap

Match recap

Colorado Avalanche overpowered New Jersey Devils 5-2 at home, riding a balanced attack led by Landeskog, Kadri, and MacKinnon. The Devils got two goals from Connor Brown but couldn't overcome Colorado's depth.

The Avalanche established control early, with G. Landeskog opening the scoring and N. Kadri adding a goal and an assist. J. Schwartz chipped in a goal and setup, while B. Burns and S. Malinski each recorded two assists. Connor Brown scored both New Jersey goals, the first assisted by A. Lombardi and the second by C. Glass, but the Devils lacked secondary scoring. Per Yahoo Sports, a former Avalanche forward has been exploding offensively, but Colorado's current group showed plenty of firepower here.

Key factors

• Colorado's five different goal scorers overwhelmed a Devils defense that couldn't contain the attack.
• Connor Brown's two goals were New Jersey's only offense, exposing a lack of depth beyond the top line.
• Special teams and discipline were even, but Colorado controlled the game at even strength.

The Analyst's take

New Jersey's recent acquisition of Connor Hellebuyck (per CBS Sports) hasn't solved their need for secondary scoring. Without more contributions from the supporting cast, the Devils will struggle to keep pace with elite teams like Colorado.