New Jersey owns a 7-4-1 record and sits third in the Metropolitan Division.
The New Jersey Devils have returned home. The team wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 6-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night. They concluded their road trip with a 2-2-0 record.
Toffoli scored the game's opening goal 3:43 into the first period. It marked the third time this season the Devils scored the game's first goal, and the first time it was against a team not named the Minnesota Wild.
Before the conclusion of the first period, New Jersey surrendered a power play goal to Colorado as Mikko Rantanen scored his seventh goal of the season.
The second period was filled with chaos in the form of penalties, feistiness, and odd-man rushes.
New Jersey took four penalties, including a Dougie Hamilton roughing penalty against Miles Wood. Colorado forward Ross Colton was assessed a boarding penalty against Luke Hughes, coss-checking against Meier, and a game misconduct against Meier. New Jersey was awarded a seven-minute power play.
"We had the chance; we went on the power play for a while there," Meier said. "Gave up one there, but you know we got two on the power play, but I think ... we just have to do a better job at the end. You know, they outworked us, and like I said, we didn't manage the puck well enough. They got above us, and yeah, we have to clean that up."
"It was really a special teams period," Ruff said. "There was a lot going on that period. We had to kill a 5-on-3, they did. We got a big power play (goal) that got us some momentum again. But again, we had opportunities to push ahead, and we didn't take advantage of the opportunity."
After forty minutes, the score was deadlocked at 3-3. Colton and Wood scored for the Avalanche, while Hamilton and Meier each scored power-play goals for the Devils.
Colorado scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including an empty net, to secure a 6-3 win and their fourth consecutive victory at Ball Arena.
Five Things
1. Too Many Odd-Man Rushes
"(Jared Bednar) broke down the film today, and he did a great job," Wood said to The Denver Post. "He talked exactly about what their weaknesses are, and he was spot on. I played that defensive zone for the last three years, and he was spot-on with what he said. We know what to do out there, and now it's time to execute." (from 'Avalanche newcomers Miles Wood, Tomas Tatar have chance to "stick it to" former team', The Denver Post, 11/7/23).
Per the TNT broadcast, the Devils gave up 13 odd-man rushes, which resulted in three Avalanche goals.
"We made some mistakes obviously on assignments," Ruff said. "I thought (Nathan) MacKinnon's speed took the game over in the third period. His speed got behind us a few times. A couple puck plays that hurt us and awareness to just get above people. We didn't get above at the right time."
2. John Marino's Point Streak
Last season, Marino had 14 assists in 64 games. Through 12 games, he has collected eight helpers. Currently, the blueliner has three points in his last three games.
3. Palat Reaches 450 Assists
Veteran forward Ondrej Palat earned the secondary assist on Hamilton's power-play goal for his fourth helper of the season. It marked his 450th career point.
4. Dougie Moves into 10th Place
Per the media notes, Hamilton's second-period goal also marked his 36th career regular-season goal, which tied him with Ken Daneyko for 10th place all-time in franchise history among defensemen.
5. Miles Wood's Big Night Against His Former Team
For the first time in his career, Wood faced the team that drafted him in 2013. After 60 minutes, the winger had one goal, one assist, and was officially credited with two hits.
As Corey Masisak of The Denver Post pointed out, Wood spent 11 minutes and 44 seconds on the penalty kill as a member of the Devils in 402 career games. His goal against his former team came when Colorado was shorthanded.
"I've shot on Vitek for about three years now, so just saw glove side there and just kind of went for it," Wood said. "We didn't play our best in Vegas there, so to have that response tonight and to beat a great team is spectacular."