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Avalanche Score Four in Third Period to Beat Devils 5-2, Bounce Back From Nashville Loss
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- Avalanche Score Four in Third Period to Beat Devils 5-2, Bounce Back From Nashville Loss
DENVER —The Colorado Avalanche scored four third-period goals to defeat the New Jersey Devils 5-2, bouncing back from a 6-2 road loss to Nashville behind goals from Nazem Kadri, Parker Kelly, Nathan MacKinnon, Jaden Schwartz and Gabriel Landeskog.
Colorado's offense came alive in the final period, with five different players finding the back of the net to secure the win. Connor Brown scored both of New Jersey's goals, while Brent Burns recorded two assists to bring his career total to 949 points, moving him into 10th place on the all-time points list among defensemen.
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Mackenzie Blackwood made 15 saves for Colorado, while Jake Allen stopped 36 shots in a busy night for New Jersey. Despite Allen's efforts and Brown's two-goal performance, the Avalanche pulled away in the third period, scoring four times to put the game out of reach and earn a much-needed bounce-back victory.
First Period
Despite holding an advantage in shots on goal, Colorado struggled to capitalize on its chances, while New Jersey made the most of its opportunity. However, the biggest concern for the Avalanche came late in the period, when defenseman Josh Manson went down near the bench and needed assistance from a trainer to leave the ice.
Nazem Kadri's post-game remarks.
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New Jersey's defense delivered the first major hit of the game as Colorado attempted to generate a rush. Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon caught Nazem Kadri with a heavy check into the boards, leaving the Avalanche center visibly shaken as he took a moment to regain his bearings.
With nine minutes remaining in the opening period, Logan O'Connor nearly gave Colorado the breakthrough. The Avalanche forward found a loose puck in the low slot with the net wide open, presenting a golden opportunity to put his team ahead 1-0. However, Devils defenseman Brett Pesce hooked O'Connor at the last moment, sending him tumbling to the ice and preventing a potential goal.
Although Pesce's intervention thwarted Colorado's scoring chance, it came at a cost for New Jersey, as the infraction sent the Avalanche to the power play.
Colorado failed to capitalize on the man advantage, and the ensuing sequence quickly turned disastrous. The Avalanche surrendered possession, allowing New Jersey to break the other way on a two-on-one rush. Connor Brown carried the puck forward, sold the passing option with a convincing fake, and then sent a shot toward the net that banked off goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood and crossed the goal line to give the Devils a 1-0 lead.
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The goal marked a costly swing in momentum for Colorado, which had been presented with an opportunity to strike first but instead found itself chasing the game.
The Avalanche suffered another concerning setback with just over four minutes remaining in the period when Manson went down near the Colorado bench. While on the ice, Manson made several attempts to open the bench gate but struggled to reach it. He eventually managed to get through, where a trainer immediately assisted him down the tunnel.
Manson's departure cast a shadow over an already frustrating period for Colorado, with his condition unclear as the teams headed toward the intermission.
After 20 minutes, the Avalanche trailed the Devils 1-0 despite holding the edge in shots on goal. Colorado needed a stronger response in the second period, but Manson's apparent injury added another layer of concern as the team attempted to erase the deficit and get back into the contest.
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Second Period
Colorado found its equalizer with 9:02 remaining in the second period, capitalizing on the power play to pull even at 1-1. Jaden Schwartz found Gabriel Landeskog at the doorstep, where the Avalanche captain scored his fifth goal of the season.
The goal came moments after Colorado's first power-play unit had left the ice. Notably, Nathan MacKinnon did not finish the shift with the rest of the unit, exiting early as Brock Nelson took his place.
MacKinnon's frustration became more apparent a short time later. Following another difficult shift, the Avalanche star was seen yelling on the bench after slamming his stick against the boards, adding a tense moment to Colorado's efforts to take control of the game.
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The momentum shifted again late in the period when O'Connor was called for cross-checking Jack Hughes into the boards with 1:59 remaining. The penalty sent Colorado to the penalty kill at a critical point in the game.
The situation grew more contentious with 31.4 seconds left, when Brent Burns was called for tripping Luke Evangelista, giving New Jersey a two-man advantage. Boos erupted as the call was announced, and the replay appeared to show Evangelista battling for a loose puck before getting sandwiched between Nicolas Roy and Burns. The sequence appeared to suggest Roy was responsible for knocking Evangelista to the ice, rather than Burns, prompting a strong reaction from the crowd.
The second period ended with the score tied 1-1, but Colorado's late penalties left the Avalanche in a precarious position. O'Connor had one second remaining on his penalty, while Burns had 1:28 left on his minor, leaving Colorado to begin the third period shorthanded.
The Avalanche also received confirmation between periods that Manson, who had left the game injured in the first, would not return.
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Colorado had recovered from its early deficit, but it faced an immediate test to begin the final 20 minutes. With New Jersey holding a 5-on-3 advantage, the Avalanche needed a crucial penalty kill to keep the game even.
Third Period
Colorado passed its first test of the third period, killing off the remaining penalties to neutralize New Jersey's 5-on-3 advantage and keep the score tied at 1-1.
The successful penalty kill gave the Avalanche an opportunity to seize control, and Kadri wasted little time taking advantage. At 2:45, the Colorado center scored his second goal of the season, burying a rebound off an initial shot from Nicolas Roy to put the Avalanche ahead 2-1.
Colorado was not finished.
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Just 62 seconds after Kadri's goal, Parker Kelly struck for his second of the season, firing a shot past Devils goaltender Jake Allen to extend the lead to 3-1. The quick succession of goals transformed a tightly contested game into a two-goal advantage for Colorado and put New Jersey under immediate pressure.
With eight minutes remaining in regulation, MacKinnon delivered another blow to the Devils. Breaking free on a breakaway, the Avalanche star finished the opportunity to make it 4-1, adding to Colorado's growing lead after a second period in which his frustration had been evident on the bench.
The Avalanche added another goal just 30 seconds later. Schwartz followed up a shot from Sam Malinski by finding the back of the net to push the lead to 5-1, capping a devastating stretch for New Jersey.
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The Devils managed to respond with 4:37 remaining, as Brown scored his second goal of the game to cut Colorado's lead to 5-2. Brown accounted for both New Jersey goals, giving the Devils some late offense after Colorado's third-period outburst had seemingly put the contest out of reach.
The late goal narrowed the margin, but Colorado maintained its three-goal advantage to secure the victory.
Takeaways
The third period was the difference for Colorado. After surrendering the opening goal and struggling to convert early chances, the Avalanche responded through Landeskog's second-period power-play goal before breaking the game open in the final frame.
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The penalty kill to begin the third was particularly important. Facing a 5-on-3 disadvantage, Colorado prevented New Jersey from reclaiming the lead or building momentum. Kadri's goal shortly afterward gave the Avalanche their first lead, and Kelly doubled the advantage just over a minute later.
MacKinnon and Schwartz then scored 30 seconds apart to extend the lead to 5-1, completing a four-goal third period for Colorado. Brown's second goal of the night made the final score 5-2, but it did little to diminish the Avalanche's decisive response.
The victory provided a strong rebound after Colorado's 6-2 road loss to Nashville. The Avalanche showed resilience after a difficult opening period and turned a close game into a convincing win with a relentless offensive surge.
Manson's injury remained a concern, however, after the defenseman left in the first period and was ruled out for the remainder of the contest. His status will be worth monitoring as Colorado moves forward.
For the Avalanche, the win offered a much-needed return to form. Landeskog supplied the equalizer, Kadri and Kelly delivered the go-ahead and insurance goals, and MacKinnon and Schwartz finished the rally in emphatic fashion. Brown provided both goals for New Jersey, but Colorado's four-goal third period ultimately proved decisive in the 5-2 victory.
