The Colorado Avalanche face off against the New Jersey Devils in the second game of a back-to-back Sunday night. It will be the first of a home-and-home series between the teams. Puck is scheduled to drop at 5:08 p.m. MT at Prudential Center.
Valeri Nichushkin and Cale Makar scored for the Avalanche in the 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings Saturday night. Alexandar Georgiev earned his eighth win of the season with 29 saves on 30 shots.
“He was outstanding, especially when we needed him. He made key saves to keep it 1-0, key saves to keep it 2-1, and then the flurry at the end,” head coach Jared Bednar said after the victory.
Ross Colton returned after missing 17 games due to a broken foot and played limited ice time but was impactful. He played on the second line with Nichushkin and Casey Mittelstadt.
Nichushkin had the highest number of shots on goal with five, but a trio of players had three — Devon Toews, Sam Malinski and Colton. He scored his sixth goal since returning on Nov. 15 and has 11 points in nine games.
Mittelstadt earned the secondary assist on Nichushkin’s goal, logging his first point in eight games. The young center has struggled to get his production going but has played well on the defensive side of the game.
The Devils beat the Seattle Kraken 3-2 on Friday night with goals from Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier. They are 18-9-2 and sit in the No. 2 spot of the Metropolitan Division.
New Jersey is No. 1 in the league on the power play but sits 14th on the penalty kill. Discipline will be imperative for the Avalanche in this matchup against a rested team.
The Devils have had more success in opposing buildings and the Avalanche are slightly better on the road.
This will be the third back-to-back for the Avalanche this season, who have not won the second game in either series.
Season Series
- Dec. 8 at New Jersey Devils
- Feb. 26 vs New Jersey Devils
Avalanche Injuries
- Josh Manson (upper body, week-to-week)
- Oliver Kylington (upper body, week-to-week)
- Miles Wood (upper body, month-to-month, LTIR)
- Jonathan Drouin (upper body, week-to-week)
- Gabriel Landeskog (knee, no timetable, LTIR)
Projected Avalanche Lines (subject to change)
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Valeri Nichushkin
Joel Kiviranta – Ivan Ivan – Logan O’Connor
Nikolai Kovalenko — Parker Kelly — Chris Wagner
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Sam Malinski
Calvin de Haan — John Ludvig
Scott Wedgewood
Alexandar Georgiev
Projected Starters (subject to change)
- Unconfirmed: Scott Wedgewood (COL)
- Unconfirmed: Jake Allen (NJD)
Upcoming Milestones
- Nathan MacKinnon — needs 4 assists for 600, 4 PPG for 100
- Cale Makar — needs 5 goals for 100
- Mikko Rantanen — needs 3 PPG for 100
How to Watch
- TV: Altitude 2
- Radio: 92.5 FM