Avalanche Pin the Devils Back in a Lopsided Night
Colorado didn't just win 5-2 — the Avalanche had the puck pointed at New Jersey's net for most of the night, and the scoreline was a fair reflection of it.
The shot clock tells it plainly: Colorado put 44 shots on goal to the Devils' 22, exactly two to one. The quality matched the volume. By expected goals — how many goals a team's chances were worth — the Avalanche created 4.13 to New Jersey's 2.51.
Jake Allen made 39 saves, but five still got through. At the other end, Mackenzie Blackwood stopped 20 of 22 and turned aside 7 of 8 shots from the most dangerous areas.
The posts got involved too: Jesper Bratt and Arseny Gritsyuk each rang one for New Jersey, while Nathan MacKinnon hit iron for Colorado on a night he also scored.
Scoring came from all over: Jaden Schwartz and Nazem Kadri had a goal and an assist each, while defencemen Sam Malinski and Brent Burns set up two apiece. For a first wild-card club in the West, this was the steadier version of the Avalanche.
