On Sunday, Oct. 26, the New Jersey Devils will host the Colorado Avalanche for a matinee tilt. The Devils just beat the San Jose Sharks on Friday 3-1 and have now won their last seven games in a row. They are looking to continue this success and make it eight straight.
Related: 3 Takeaways From the Devils’ 3-1 Victory Over the Sharks
The Avalanche are playing a two-game East Coast road trip. They kicked the trip off the day prior in Boston, where the Bruins defeated them 3-2. With this loss, Colorado has lost their last three games in a row. They will look to right the ship against New Jersey in the second half of their back-to-back.
Devils Storylines
Per Amanda Stein, Juho Lammikko was on the ice during practice on Saturday, Oct. 25. Lammikko slotted in on the second line alongside Timo Meier and Arseni Gritsyuk. He played on the second line because Nico Hischier was absent from practice due to a maintenance day. He signed with the Devils as a free agent on June 15, 2025. He sustained the injury during practice before the regular season began and has since been placed on injured reserve (IR). Lammikko partaking in practice is a great sign on his road to recovery.
Another injured player who was a participant in this practice was Jacob Markstrom. Sheldon Keefe stated, “We see him playing on the trip.” Although he might not take to the crease in this game, Markstrom is making great strides towards playing with the Devils soon.
The player to watch in this game is Jake Allen. He has been stellar for the Devils in Markstrom’s absence, recording four of their last seven wins. He has the second-best goals-against average (GAA) in the entire league with 1.72. Only Logan Thompson on the Washington Capitals sits above Allen. He sits in fifth place in the league with his save percentage (SV%) of .932. Ranking so high on the overall NHL leaderboard is a testament to Allen’s skill as a goaltender. He will likely be the starting goaltender against the Avalanche, and he will definitely be the player to watch.
Team Stats
New Jersey Devils
Season Record: 7-1-0
Top Scorers:
- Jesper Bratt – 4 goals (G), 7 assists (A), 11 points (P)
- Jack Hughes – 6 G, 4 A, 10 P
- Nico Hischier – 2 G, 7 A, 9 P
- Dawson Mercer – 3 G, 5 A, 8 P
- Timo Meier – 3 G, 4 A, 7 P
Goalie Stats
- Jake Allen – 4-0-0, 1.72 goals-against average (GAA), .932 save percentage (SV%)
- Jacob Markstrom – 2-2-1, 3.89 GAA, .845 SV%
- Nico Daws – 1-0-0, 1.00 GAA, .968 SV%
Colorado Avalanche
Season Record: 5-1-3
Top Scorers
- Nathan MacKinnon – 6 G, 7 A, 13 P
- Martin Necas – 6 G, 6 A, 12 P
- Atturi Lehkonen – 4 G, 6 A, 10 P
- Cale Makar – 3 G, 7 A, 10 P
- Valeri Nichushkin – 4 G, 2 A, 6 P
Goalie Stats
- Scott Wedgwood – 5-1-2, 2.42 GAA, .904 SV%
- Trent Miner – 0-0-1, 0.00 GAA, 1.00 SV%
Team Lineups
(Subject to change before puck drop)
As per The Hockey Writers’ projected lineup article
New Jersey Devils
Ondrej Palat — Jack Hughes — Jesper Bratt
Timo Meier — Nico Hischier — Arseni Gritsyuk
Paul Cotter — Dawson Mercer — Connor Brown
Stefan Noesen — Luke Glendening — Brian Halonen
Luke Hughes — Brett Pesce
Jonas Siegenthaler — Dougie Hamilton
Brenden Dillon — Simon Nemec
Jake Allen
Nico Daws
Scratched: Dennis Cholowski
Injured: Cody Glass, Jacob Markstrom, Juho Lammikko, Marc McLaughlin, Evgenii Dadonov, Zack MacEwen, Johnathan Kovacevic
Colorado Avalanche
Artturi Lehkonen — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Necas
Gabriel Landeskog — Brock Nelson — Valeri Nichushkin
Ross Colton — Jack Drury — Victor Olofsson
Parker Kelly — Zakhar Bardakov — Gavin Brindley
Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Josh Manson — Brent Burns
Ilya Solovyov — Sam Malinski
Trent Miner
Scott Wedgewood
Scratched: Danil Gushchin, Jack Ahcan, MacKenzie Blackwood
Injured: Koel Kiviranta, Nikita Prishchepov, Samuel Girard, Ronald Attard, Jacob MacDonald, Logan O’Connor
Next Up for the Devils
The Devils will conclude their homestand with this game against the Avalanche. They will hit the road for a four-game road trip. Their first stop? Ball Arena to take on the Avalanche and close out the season series just two days later, Oct. 28.
