​DENVER, COLORADO – OCTOBER 28: Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood #39 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates with his teammates after their win against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena on October 28, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) | Getty Images Denver, CO — The New Jersey Devils are among the NHL’s hottest teams, both in success and headlines, after winning games and the Connor Hellebuyck sweepstakes. The Colorado Avalanche are a perennial powerhouse with superstar talent, but they’ve struggled with inconsistent performances and disappointing defeats lately. The Avs welcomed Nicolas Roy back to the lineup, finally deploying a relatively healthy forward group. How will he and the Avalanche fare against the Devils, who are on their second back-to-back?The GameWe got a look at the new bottom-nine forward lines, with Kadri slotting back into the third-center role. Nic Roy’s return as a second-line winger seems to have ended (at least for now) the experiment of Nazem Kadri on the wing. With Roy’s return, we also saw Fedor Svechkov slotted at 4C.Here is tonight’s #Avs lineup. pic.twitter.com/1PM0fR7eLi— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) October 29, 2026Both clubs got off the blocks slowly, with a combined two shots on net in the first five minutes. Colorado got the better of the two shots, with Jake Allen turning away Lehkonen on the doorstep after a slow-developing play from MacKinnon and Necas ended with a chance.The Avalanche got their first power play of the night 11 minutes in when Brett Pesce hooked Logan O’Connor. Unfortunately for the Avalanche, they once again allowed a short-handed tally instead of capitalizing on the extra man. Connor Brown made it 1-0 for the Devils at 12:21 in the first period.The #NJDevils score shorthanded as Cale Makar drops to his knees on the two-on-one. The puck glanced off Makar and through Mackenzie Blackwood. Connor Brown scores the goal. 1-0 Devils.— Adrian Hernandez (@AdoHernandez27) October 29, 2026The healthy Avalanche took a hit later in the first frame, with Josh Manson struggling to get off the ice before heading straight down the tunnel with a noticeable limp. He did not return to the bench for the second period.The first ten minutes of the second frame played out like a game between a team on the second of a back-to-back and a struggling group.The second half of the middle frame was a bit more exciting, with the Avalanche earning and cashing in on a power play this time. Gabe Landeskog scored on a back-door play from Jaden Schwartz at 10:58 to restore the tie. Landeskog’s goal marks his fifth of the season, putting him on pace for 32 goals.Gabe Landeskog and power-play two get the Avalanche on the board! #GoAvsGopic.twitter.com/clBTlqnnIR— Mile High Hockey (@MileHighHockey) October 29, 2026The Devils earned two power plays late in the second period, setting up a 5-on-3 for the final 30 seconds, but the Avalanche survived.The third period started with o