The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils (7-1-0) vs. the Colorado Avalanche (5-1-3). Avs blog: Mile High Hockey
The Time: 1:00 PM EST
The Broadcast: TV — MSGSN; Radio — Devils Hockey Network
Colorado’s Hot Start
Prior to losing to the
Boston Bruins 3-2 yesterday afternoon, the Colorado Avalanche had not lost a single game in regulation. Artturi Lehkonen scored both goals for the Avalanche, assisted both times by Nathan MacKinnon and once by Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar, each. Scott Wedgewood had a tough game in goal, allowing three goals on 19 shots. Given that it was a back-to-back, the Avalanche certainly wanted that game. Per Natural Stat Trick, they dominated the Bruins in the run of play to the tune of a 70.21 CF% and 62.53 xGF%, but Boston had all the luck and goaltending. Jeremy Swayman goalie’d them with 29 saves and 1.86 goals saved above expected. Wedgewood allowed five rebounds, while Colorado created 12 rebounds on Swayman.
Some Avs had tough games, though. Martin Necas missed the net or had his shot blocked eight times. Gabriel Landeskog, who has yet to find his previous effectiveness this season after he surprisingly returned to NHL play last playoffs, was again limited in ice time to just 13:16 in total, struggling to create offense at five-on-five. Landeskog, who had a goal and three points (all even strength) in five games of playing second-line minutes for Colorado in the playoffs last year, is certainly looking to get back on track after even more time removed from his knee injuries in 2022.
But Colorado is tough. Even if Trent Miner, a rookie, will be starting in net for them, that is no reason to count them out. They have leaned on Wedgewood almost entirely this season, and he now has a 5-1-2 record, but Trent Miner had 20 saves on 20 shots in relief of Wedgewood before losing in a shootout to the Hartford Whalers Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. Colorado came very close to winning that one, too, outshooting Carolina considerably, but they were held back by Frederik Andersen, who stopped 44 of 48 on 5.48 expected goals against.
The Avalanche are one of the toughest teams in the league down the middle just by virtue of having Nathan MacKinnon, but they are solid even beyond him. Brock Nelson and Jack Drury man the second and third lines, while former Devils prospect Zakhar Bardakov is now their fourth-line center. Ross Colton is now in his second year of playing wing for the Avalanche after being one of the better bottom-six centers in the league in 2023-24. In addition to their center depth, they have great players on the wings in their top six. Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen both stand over a point per game at 12 and 10 points through nine games, respectively. On the back-end, Cale Makar (10 points), Brent Burns (4), and Sam Malinski have provided the offense while Devon Toews has surprisngly been held off the scoresheet through their first several games. Meanwhile, longtime Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard has been out since October 11 with a week-to-week upper-body injury, while Josh Manson has been playing respectable third-pairing hockey, as usual.
The point is, Colorado is a very well-constructed hockey team. The Devils might be thankful that Mackenzie Blackwood, who had a .912 save percentage last season for the Sharks and Avalanche, is still out in recovery from an offseason lower-body surgery. Then again, the young Trent Miner might have some surprises in store for them. The 6’1” goaltender has a career .919 save percentage in the AHL and had a solid career in the WHL, drafted in the seventh round by Colorado in 2019. We will see how the Devils respond to the likely matchup against Miner.
Which Goalie Should Start for the Devils?
As you may have heard, Jacob Markstrom practiced on Saturday for the Devils. While today’s game is at home in Newark, Sheldon Keefe has already spoken about his intentions for the four-game western road trip: Jacob Markstrom will travel, and he wants Markstrom to play. In Markstrom’s stead, Jake Allen has posted a 4-0-0 record with a .932 save percentage and 1.72 goals against average, while Nico Daws won his only appearance with 30 saves on 31 shots.
After the Devils play at 1:00 today, they will travel to Colorado for a Tuesday night game. That game will start at 7:00 PM local time in the Mountain Time Zone, meaning the team has around 50 hours to travel west, rest, and prepare for the second half of the home-and home. And given that they will be going to San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim after, it might be best for the Devils to spread the goaltending load as best as they can here. I would not mind seeing a Nico Daws—Trent Miner matchup this afternoon, setting the stage for a Jake Allen—Scott Wedgewood duel on Tuesday night. Then, Markstrom could return on one of the later dates, likely giving Allen two or three starts on the western road trip, while Nico Daws may be sent back to the Utica Comets.
Top Line Matchups and Bottom Six Balance
This season, Nico Hischier has been ridiculously effective against other top lines. He shut down Macklin Celebrini at five-on-five on Friday night while posting three assists, continuing a run of holding back some of the league’s best offensive forces from scoring goals in their matchups against him. This has allowed Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt to get off to their scoring ways for the Devils, as Jack has six goals and 10 points, while Bratt has four goals and 11 points through eight games. Hischier, Mercer, and Meier come next in scoring for the Devils so far, with nine, eight, and seven points, respectively.
Mercer’s play is of the upmost importance to the team. While Hischier and Hughes will have serious matchups against Nathan MacKinnon and Brock Nelson, Dawson Mercer has the chance to really tip the balance of the games against Colorado when he lines up against Jack Drury. Drury is certainly a decent two-way player and is solid in the dot, but Dawson Mercer has been on another level for the Devils this season. Since Cody Glass was ruled out with a multi-week injury after the game in Toronto, Mercer shifted from second line wing to third-line center, putting up three points in the past two games to bring him up to a point-per-game speed. Considering that Mercer’s previous career high in points was 56 in the 2022-23 season, when he was playing wing, this development is huge for the New Jersey Devils. It opens Arseny Gritsyuk up to play on a line with Hischier and Meier, and the third line has looked no worse for wear with Paul Cotter completely elevating his game opposite Connor Brown, who has four goals already this season.
The one question is the fourth line. Sheldon Keefe had an apt response to a question about Luke Glendening, as you can see above, but I am still concerned about the all-right-handed line. Glendening is absolutely doing his job as a defensive center with great effectiveness on the penalty kill, and Brian Halonen is looking better with a few games under his belt. But I am concerned that Stefan Noesen is languishing a little too much on that fourth line. Yes, he is only two games back from an offseason groin surgery, and he missed camp, but I do not like seeing this from Todd Cordell’s five-on-five shot contribution charts:
Last season, Noesen set a career high in goals and points with 22 goals and 41 points in 78 games played, putting up 165 shots on goal on 284 attempts, playing 15:56 per night. This season, Noesen has only played a total of 15:14 through two games with one shot attempt, which was on goal. And yes, he did come close to scoring a net-front goal on the power play, as he was stripped just before he could shoot at an open net in his season debut against Minnesota, but I would like to see more from the team’s usage of him. Perhaps some shifts with Hughes or Mercer might do him some good, since Glendening does not play very much at five-on-five, anyway.
But as long as they beat the Colorado Avalanche, I will be a happy camper.
A Note
I will be recapping today’s game, but I am currently on a train back from Jacksonville, Florida. That is why I am posting this game preview extra early, and the gamethread will also post a bit earlier than usual as well. As long as everything goes to plan, I should be home 30-60 minutes before puck drop, but it may be a short recap on account of me not being a great train sleeper (and this ride is about 18 hours long). Then again, I am probably what some would term a “sicko” as it comes to writing about Devils hockey, so we might have nothing to worry about. Just don’t be surprised if I have to post an initial recap before finishing it off with some thoughts after a late afternoon nap.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of the matchup against Colorado? Do you think the Devils will keep the winning streak going? What are you looking for in the game? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
