- The Matchup: Colorado Avalanche (5-3-1) @ New Jersey Devils (4-4-0)
- The Time: 7:00 pm EST
- The Broadcast: TV — MSG, MSG 2 — Devils Hockey Radio
Last Devils Game
On Saturday afternoon, the Devils faced off against the Capitals for the first time this season. Things seemed to start positively for the Devils, at least on the scoreboard. Areseny Gritsyuk scored his 3rd goal of the season halfway through the period, giving the Devils the first goal of the game for the 3rd game in a row. Playing from behind has recently been the kiss of death for the Devils and on the flip side, their record when scoring first has been stellar. Between their expected “high” from their victory
over the Rangers and scoring first yet again, no one would have blamed you for having a good feeling about the rest of this game. Well, have I got some bad news for you.
Before the end of the first period, Ryan Leonard would score a power play goal for the Capitals. It was an amazing individual effort, similar to the 2nd goal of the night scored by Luke against the Rangers. Another way to put it would be that the Devils let Leonard basically skate his way through their penalty kill in a horrible show of “defense.” Either way you wish to view it, the teams headed into the second period tied at 1.
Similar again to the Rangers game, the second period is where the wheels fell off of this game. Only this time, it was the Devils falling apart in the second. The Capitals scored less than 2 minutes into the period, and again a little over 3 minutes later to take a quick 3-1 lead. Boone Jenner scored about halfway into the period, giving the Capitals a 4-1 lead and 4 unanswered goals.
Timo Meier scored a power play goal, his first of the season, with less than a minute left in the 3rd period to make the score and game look closer than it actually was. The game mercifully ended right after, with the Capitals skating away with a 4-2 win and the win/loss see-saw that is the Devils “consistency” continued yet again.
Last Avalanche Game
On Monday night the Avalanche faced off against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Matvei Michkov got the scoring started for the Flyers with a power play goal in the first period, scoring against our old buddy, Mackenzie Blackwood. Michkov would score again for the Flyers in the second period to put his team up 2-0 before Martin Necas scored for the Avalanche to send the teams to the 3rd period with a score of 2-1 Flyers.
The teams would trade goals in the 3rd period, however the Avalanche would end their night with a 3-2 loss. Blackwood took the L as the kids say these days, however he does have a 4-2-0 record on the season along with a decent 2.86 GAA and a not so decent .890 SV%. One thing is for sure. Either way you slice it, the Devils will be facing an ex-Devil in net tonight.
Injuries, Roster for Tonight, Yada, Yada, Yada.
Per Amanda Stein on 10/19, there were no lines or pairings for practice. Instead the team worked on drills and “forcing players to be aggressive on pucks, ending plays quickly and taking out bodies in the corner.”
On the injury/illness front, Bratt, Glass, and Mantha missed practice today. However, Keefe noted that he expects Bratt, Glass, and Evangelista back for the game tonight while Mantha might be a game time decision.
One final update that will surely make some fans happy and some upset, is that Brenden Dillon will not be playing tonight.
Grimace’s Prediction and 2026-2027 Record Tracker
Last season (like the Devils), Grimace started the season off hot, winning the majority of his predictions early in the year. This year, not so much. He hasn’t quite turned to drink yet, like he did last year, but I am starting to notice the changes in his mood. Whether it is his mood, the changing weather, or some other sign from above, he has unfortunately predicted a loss against Colorado tonight.
Grimace’s 2026-2027 Season Prediction record currently stands at 1-2.
Your Take
What can you say about the game against the Capitals (or this team) after their last game? The victory against the Rangers produced amazing feelings of joy and positive vibes among the fan base, myself included. The game against the Capitals produced an effect 180 degrees away from the Rangers game. How can a team absolutely demolish and run a team out of the arena in one game, and then mail it in their next game? Well folks, if anyone on here knew the answer to that question, they would probably be in charge of the team. At this point, I will continue my belief that if he doesn’t know it yet, that Sunny is well on his way to figuring out what the deal is with this team.
I continue to believe that as constructed (that includes the players and Sheldon Keefe), that this team is exactly what we have seen over their first 8 games. Win some, lose some. They are the purest definition of an average (results wise) .500 hockey club. I think they have tons of talent and many great pieces. I do not think those pieces fit together and I don’t think they play nice together. We, as fans, have been asking for years not for an 84-0 record, but consistency. It is quite early in the season, but the infamous consistently inconsistent Devils are in peak form, sadly, as always.
In a shameless bit of non hockey related self promotion (approved by Chris – thanks Chris), I wanted to plug my podcast on here, if any of you are interested in listening. We have a light hearted, fun discussion about any movies, music, or video games mostly from the 1980s and 1990s. Please feel free to listen to us on any of the formats below and any feedback is welcome (positive and negative). Also, please follow us and subscribe, even if you think we stink. :).
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