Jack Hughes scored a power-play goal early in the third period. Vitek Vanecek made 24 saves to earn his first shutout with the New Jersey Devils in a 1-0 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
The Devils secured their fifth win in six games after losing the first two of the season. They also successfully killed all six of the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche’s NHL-best power plays.
“Honestly, it was a really good game. The guys played really well, and we just scored the goal,” said Vanecek, who earned his first win with the Devils in a 6-2 victory over Detroit on Tuesday night. “That felt really good, especially in a home game, so I’m really happy with that.”
Hughes netted his third goal of the season on the power play at 2:59 of the third, firing the puck past Pavel Francouz. Jesper Bratt and Dougie Hamilton assisted, with Bratt’s assist marking his team-leading 10th of the season. Bratt has recorded points in all eight Devils games this season, leading the team with 13 points. Francouz made 22 saves for Colorado.
“It was a great game by both clubs. It felt like a playoff game,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. “This was the right team to play at the right time. We blocked shots. There was a lot of good stuff tonight.”
An apparent goal by Miles Wood in the first period was nullified after a review determined the play was offside. New Jersey outshot Colorado 8-4 in the opening period, and the Avalanche held a 10-7 shots advantage in the second as both goaltenders made key saves to keep the game scoreless.
“We just didn’t have jump,” Avalanche forward Evan Rodrigues said. “We didn’t get enough odd-man rushes.”
The Avalanche were coming off a 3-2 shootout win over the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, with former Rangers goalie Alexandar Georgiev earning the win in his return.
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar was impressed with the Devils, who are showing promise after missing the playoffs for the past four seasons.
“They have great team speed and good skill,” Bednar said. “Give them credit; their PK is really good.”
Vanecek made crucial saves, including a point-blank stop on Colorado forward Dryden Hunt in the second period and a dazzling pad save on Rodrigues midway through the third. He denied a one-timer by Arturi Lehkonen with just over eight minutes remaining and made 10 saves in the third period.
“He made the big save when we needed it. That lifts the whole bench,” Ruff said about Vanecek’s save on Rodrigues. “And our penalty killers did a great job. We limited their key players.”
Avalanche leading scorer Valeri Nichushkin missed the game due to a lower-body injury.
After facing the Islanders on Saturday night, the Avalanche will fly to Finland, where they will play the Columbus Blue Jackets twice next weekend.
“We had too many turnovers, and we didn’t do enough to win the hockey game,” Bednar added. “Tonight, we just didn’t have the jam.”
Game Notes
The Devils scratched forwards Alexander Holtz and Ondrej Palat and defenseman Kevin Bahl, while the Avalanche scratched defenseman Kurtis MacDermid.
Up Next:
- Devils: Host Columbus on Sunday.
- Avalanche: At New York Islanders on Saturday night.
