The New Jersey Devils beat the reigning President’s Trophy winners, the Colorado Avalanche, 4-3 on Tuesday night, but don’t let that final score fool you: this was New Jersey’s game from start to finish. After a tough loss to the Washington Capitals over the weekend, the Devils came out swinging at The Rock, arguably playing their best game of the season and utterly dominating one of the league’s top teams for 55 minutes.
The Numbers Are In, And They Scream Total Dominance
This wasn’t just a win, it was a clinic. New Jersey controlled the ice for almost the entire game, reminiscent of their 7-1 demolition of the New York Rangers last week. They outshot the Avalanche 15-4 in the first period, then piled on with another 17-9 advantage in the second. By the end of two periods, at 5-on-5, the Devils had out-attempted Colorado a ridiculous 47-25 and crushed them in Expected Goals, 2.20-0.95, good for nearly 70%! We saw a swarming, aggressive attack that leaned into the dump-and-chase more than usual, backed by a killer commitment to team defense and strong goaltending. Yeah, Colorado snuck in two very late goals, including one with just 4.5 seconds left, to make it look close at 4-3, but don’t let that fool you for a second. Outside of a quick Avalanche flurry to start the third and those final five minutes, the Devils were by far the better team all night.
Evangelista’s Return Put The League On Notice
The tide turned even before the puck dropped with some key reinforcements hitting the lineup. Luke Evangelista, back after missing three games with an injury, was absolutely electric. Honestly, you could argue he was the best player on the ice. He kicked things off by scoring the first goal of the evening just 6:40 into the first period. Nico Hischier fought for a loose puck, Evangelista scooped it up, streaked in, and ripped a shot past old pal Scott Wedgewood. That was just one of his whopping six shots on net tonight! He also picked up an assist on Declan Chisholm’s first goal as a Devil, which at the time gave New Jersey a 2-1 lead late in the second. His 69.90 Expected Goals% at 5-on-5 was killer, and his 3.14 Game Score was tops among all forwards. What a triumphant return for Evangelista, he was definitely one of the main characters in this win!
And speaking of returns, Connor Brown made his season debut too, slotting into Amadeus Lombardi’s spot on the fourth line with Cody Glass and Jesper Boqvist. Brown missed the first eight games with a lower-body injury, but he logged 13:54 tonight and even grabbed an assist on Boqvist’s empty-net goal that pushed New Jersey’s lead to 4-1 with 3:55 left in the third. While he didn’t register a shot on goal, his 1.41 Game Score was solid, fifth-best among forwards. It was a good game for Brown to jump back into.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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