Newark, NJ (SportsNetwork.com) – Erik Johnson and Matt Duchene scored in the
third period as the Colorado Avalanche rallied to beat the New Jersey Devils
3-2 at Prudential Center.
John Mitchell also scored and Semyon Varlamov made 23 saves for the Avalanche,
who have won consecutive games for the first time this season and concluded
their four-game road trip at .500.
Eric Gelinas and Martin Havlat supplied the goals for New Jersey, which had
its two-game win streak snapped and lost for the fifth time in seven games.
Cory Schneider stopped 26 shots in defeat.
Gelinas gave the Devils a 2-1 lead at 8:21 of the third. Following a faceoff
win by Patrik Elias, Gelinas let go a wrister from the left point near the
boards that made its way through traffic and over the left shoulder of
Varlamov.
Johnson tied it with 7:30 remaining on a shot from the bottom of the right
circle after an end-to-end rush.
Duchene gave Colorado the lead when he buried his own rebound with 2:53 left.
Schneider, who has started each of the Devils’ 18 games this season, made a
left pad save on Duchene’s initial bid, but the Avalanche forward converted on
his second try, slipping the puck between the goaltender’s legs.
New Jersey went on a power play 19 seconds later, but couldn’t capitalize,
even with Schneider on the bench.
The Devils went ahead 1-0 on Havlat’s goal 2:04 in. Varlamov turned away
Michael Ryder’s shot, but Havlat slammed home the rebound from the slot into a
partially open net.
Mitchell tied it at 8:11 of the first period after he was left uncovered in
front of Schneider. Two New Jersey players converged on Gabriel Landeskog as
came out from behind the Devils net with the puck, and Mitchell directed in
the Colorado captain’s pass.
Schneider preserved the deadlock in the second period by denying Marc-Andre
Cliche on a 2-on-1 break.
Cliche was high-sticked later in the second, but the Avalanche generated few
quality scoring chances on the four-minute power play.
Game Notes
Martin Brodeur holds the Devils’ record with 19 straight starts to open the
2001 season … Colorado improved to 6-0-1 in the last seven meetings with New
Jersey.
