Devils fall to streaking Avalanche

DENVER — Artturi Lehkonen had a aim and an help, Logan O’Connor and Andre Burakovsky additionally scored and the NHL-leading Colorado Avalanche gained their eighth straight recreation, 3-1 over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night time.

Pavel Francouz had 26 saves for Colorado, which has a league-best 114 factors with eight video games remaining. The Avalanche are 4 factors behind the 2000-01 staff that set the franchise report for factors in a season. That staff went on to win the Stanley Cup, beating the Devils in seven video games within the finals.

Colorado has a four-point lead over the Florida Panthers within the race for the President’s Trophy, awarded to the staff with essentially the most factors. The Panthers have performed one much less recreation than the Avalanche.

“We’re nonetheless preventing for that first general, as they're,” coach Jared Bednar mentioned. “I imply, they’re scoring a bunch of targets each night time in order that they’re going to be a problem for whoever they face within the first spherical.”

Pavel Zacha (left) has a dejected expression after an Avalanche aim was scored on Andrew Hammond throughout the Devils’ 3-1 loss.

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Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey, which had its two-game successful streak halted. Andrew Hammond stopped 25 pictures for the Devils.

Colorado seized management with a dominant second interval, when it outshot New Jersey 14-4 and scored thrice.

O’Connor made it 1-0 on a rebound at 3:07, his seventh of the season. Burakovsky scored his twenty second at 7:45 as Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton knocked the web off of its moorings.

P.Okay. Subban battles Colorado’s J.T. Compher for the puck throughout the Devils’ loss.

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“I had to take a look at the replay to determine what occurred as a result of I used to be confused when the web was on the bottom after and didn’t know if it did go in or not,” Hammond mentioned. “It was complicated and sadly it did depend.”

Lehkonen’s sixteenth of the 12 months and second with Colorado made it 3-0 at 14:35.

“It’s enjoyable to get factors, however so long as the staff retains successful it’s all it issues,” Lehkonen mentioned.

Bratt’s twenty fourth aim of the season at 11:39 of the third interval spoiled Francouz’s shutout bid.

“We stepped up within the third interval and we performed tougher,” Bratt mentioned. “After we play a fast-paced recreation and don’t flip pucks over on the blue line and get them deep we create some scoring possibilities. You'll be able to’t do 20-, 30-minute good recreation towards this sort of staff.”