The Avalanche head into New Jersey needing a reset in the worst way.
Colorado’s 5-3-1 start has hit a rough patch, and the opener of this back-to-back road swing exposed plenty. The Avalanche were sloppy against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that came in with only one win, and they never found much rhythm. They had trouble stringing together quality looks, didn’t consistently challenge the goalie and spent too much time playing loose without the puck.
Now the task gets no easier against a Devils team that has outshot every opponent it has faced this season. New Jersey enters at 4-4-0, is 3-2-0 at home and is coming off a loss to the Washington Capitals. For Colorado, the assignment is clear: tighten up in its own end and give up far less in front of its net.
Scott Wedgewood will get the start in goal for the Avalanche after Mackenzie Blackwood played Monday night in Philadelphia. It’s Wedgewood’s third start in Colorado’s first 10 games. He’s 1-0-1 on the season and comes in after a strong outing against the Dallas Stars, even though that one ended in a shootout loss.
The Avalanche are also sticking with 11 forwards and seven defensemen, which means no traditional fourth line again. That setup has been a problem through the opening stretch, with the team short on forward depth and forced to lean heavily on three lines. That lack of flexibility should continue until Logan O’Connor returns on Friday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Colorado will be back in New Jersey later this month, with another meeting set for Oct. 28 at home.
Avalanche injuries include Logan O’Connor, who is on LTIR and set to return Friday, along with Zachary L’Heureux, who is day to day with an upper-body issue, and Nicolas Roy, who is day to day with a lower-body issue.
Projected Avalanche lines:
Artturi Lehkonen - Nathan MacKinnon - Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog - Brock Nelson - Nazem Kadri
Jaden Schwartz - Fedor Svechkov - T.J. Hughes
Parker Kelly - Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews - Cale Makar
Brett Kulak - Sam Malinski
Josh Manson - Brent Burns
Noah Juulsen
Scott Wedgewood
Mackenzie Blackwood
Projected starter for New Jersey is Nico Daws, though that is unconfirmed.
A few milestones are also in play: Nazem Kadri needs two power-play goals to reach 100, Mackenzie Blackwood needs two games for 300, Nicolas Roy needs five points for 200, Parker Kelly needs six points for 100 and Scott Wedgewood needs six wins for 100.
In Other News...
Avalanche Suddenly Have An Early Problem Fans Cant Ignore
The early signs of a stumble are hard to miss for a Colorado team that entered the night expecting a cleaner response after its first loss. Instead, the Avalanche dropped another game, this time to the Devils, and the bigger concern was less the final result than the way it came together. Shot volume never tilted in their favor, and the power play came up empty again even as the penalty kill handled its lone test.
Colorado has only been into the season a short time, which makes the current dip stand out even more. A team with this much talent can usually rely on pace and special teams to steady things when the five-on-five game gets messy, but neither showed up consistently here. If the Avalanche are going to avoid turning a small slowdown into something more noticeable, those areas need to sharpen up quickly. [Read more 🡒]
T.J. Hughes Is Forcing A Tough Avalanche Roster Decision
T.J. Hughes picked a good night to make his mark, scoring his first NHL goal with help from Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. It was the kind of moment that can change the tone around a young player quickly, especially on a team that leans so heavily on established stars and expects newcomers to fit into a very specific system.
Hughes has also started to complicate the Avalanches roster math because of the way he has looked on the power-play unit, where familiarity and shot orientation matter more than just raw skill. With Logan OConnor working his way back and contract considerations affecting other players in the mix, Colorado suddenly has a real decision to make about how much runway Hughes gets and whether his place in the lineup can survive once everyone is healthy. [Read more 🡒]
Avalanche Suddenly Have A Problem Fans Arent Used To Seeing
After a fast start to the season, the Avalanche have hit a small stretch that looks unfamiliar by their standards. A couple of losses have exposed some early warning signs, from slow starts to faceoff issues and a power play that has not been nearly as sharp as usual, even as Colorado still sits at 5-4-1 through 10 games and has had more good nights than bad.
Nathan MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri have also gone through scoring droughts at the wrong time, and the recent shot totals against have been higher than the Avalanche usually want to see. None of that changes the bigger picture yet, but it does add a layer of concern for a team that is used to looking cleaner and more dominant than this. [Read more 🡒]