New Jersey Devils face Colorado Avalanche on four-game win streak

The New Jersey Devils enter tonight’s matchup against the Colorado Avalanche riding a four-game winning streak, the first such run for the club since October 2025. While New Jersey is on a four-game winning streak, they face a Colorado team coming off two days of rest that has not won consecutive games since early October, All About The Jersey reported.

Stingy Defense Meets a High-Powered Offense

The narrative for the Devils this season has been defensive discipline. Since October 6, when they allowed 32 shots against Utah, New Jersey has effectively locked down their zone. In their last three games, they haven’t surrendered more than 18 shots in a single contest. It is a stark contrast to the chaos of their previous meeting with Colorado on October 20, where the Avalanche managed 34 shots—the most the Devils have allowed all season—including a frantic 19 shots in the third period during a failed comeback attempt.

Tonight, the burden falls on Jake Allen, who starts in goal following Connor Hellebuyck’s victory last night. Allen will be facing a Colorado offense that is “playing a little angry” after a bruising 6-2 loss to the Nashville Predators. The stakes are clear: if New Jersey can maintain their shot-suppression metrics, they can stifle Colorado’s momentum. However, the Avalanche possess three potent lines capable of breaking a game open if the Devils’ fatigue starts to show.

Hellebuyck will get a full day off tomorrow, Keefe said. Allen will start in Colorado with Poirier backing up.

— https://x.com/Peter_Baugh/status/2115279730807099774

Managing the Fatigue Factor

The Devils are operating on a tighter schedule than Colorado, but head coach Sheldon Keefe has been surgical with his ice-time distribution to prevent burnout. During the recent win over the Dallas Stars, Keefe kept key players’ minutes surprisingly low. Jesper Boqvist played 14:03 and Arseny Gritsyuk played 13:18, while stars Jesper Bratt and Timo Meier stayed under the 17-minute mark.

Even the team’s anchors have seen a reduction in workload. Nico Hischier, who averaged over 20 minutes per game over the last two seasons, hasn’t hit that mark since October 6, and Jack Hughes hasn’t crossed 20 minutes since October 17. This strategic rotation ensures that New Jersey’s core is fresh enough to match the speed of a Colorado team that thrives on a run-and-gun style of play.

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The Defensive Puzzle

A critical decision for Keefe tonight involves the return of Declan Chisholm. There is a strong case for pairing Chisholm with Brenden Dillon on the third pairing, despite both being left-handed. Speed is the primary currency in this matchup, and both Dillon and Chisholm possess the skating ability required to track Colorado’s fast transitions. This would likely mean resting Johnny Kovacevic, who has struggled with leg speed in recent outings.

The historical data supports this move. In the last encounter between these two teams, Chisholm ranked second on the Devils’ defense in expected goals for percentage (xGF%), and he scored the go-ahead goal in the second period—a lead the Devils never relinquished.

Denver colorado artturi lehkonen of the colorado avalanche skates against timo meier of the

Devils Offensive Depth Suggests Imminent Scoring Explosion

On paper, the Devils are averaging nearly three goals per game, yet they are arguably underperforming their offensive expectations. The team is seeing a wide distribution of contributions; while Hughes, Bratt, and Gritsyuk have double-digit points, seven other players sit in the five-to-six point range. This depth includes Jesper Boqvist, who has tallied four goals in 10 games.

There is a sense that a scoring explosion is imminent for several key players who have been “snakebitten.” Timo Meier, for instance, has managed only one goal despite firing 46 shots on net. Dougie Hamilton recently hit the iron, and Luke Hughes is starting to find his rhythm, recording a highlight-reel goal and his second assist of the year in the last game.

Connor Brown scores a shorthanded goal against the Colorado Avalanche

Player	Key Stat/Contribution
Jack Hughes	Double-digit points
Nico Hischier	7 goals
Timo Meier	1 goal on 46 shots

The final hurdle for New Jersey is Mackenzie Blackwood. Blackwood now guards the net for Colorado with a 5-3-0 record, a .893 save percentage, and a 2.91 goals-against average. While New Jersey found success against Scott Wedgewood in their previous meeting, Blackwood presents a different set of challenges.

The game boils down to a clash of rhythms: Colorado wants a chaotic, high-scoring affair, while New Jersey wants a controlled, low-shot environment. Whether Jake Allen can repeat his previous success against the Avalanche will likely determine if the Devils extend their streak to five.