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Avalanche actually showed up in revenge win against Devils

The Colorado Avalanche actually showed up on Wednesday night, and showed why they are a dominant team.
ByNestor Quixtan
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Oct 28, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (39) celebrates with defenseman Devon Toews (7) and defenseman Brent Burns (84) after the game against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Oct 28, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Colorado Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood (39) celebrates with defenseman Devon Toews (7) and defenseman Brent Burns (84) after the game against the New Jersey Devils at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colorado Avalanche actually showed up, avenging their loss against the New Jersey Devils earlier this season, pulling off a solid 5-2 win on Wednesday night at Ball Arena.

The Avalanche surrendered the first goal of the game, a bizarre carom off Cale Makar’s skate that led to a tough shorthanded marker for the Devils.

But that would be pretty much all the offense New Jersey could muster. Colorado pounded the Devils, outshooting them 44-22 and opening up a 5-1 lead before Connor Brown notched his second goal of the night.

So, let’s take a closer look at three interesting points following the Avalanche’s much-needed win on Wednesday night.

Depth scoring stepped up

One of the issues we’ve been pointing out here at Mile High Sticking has been the lack of depth scoring.

Well, that issue got some major attention against the Devils. Parker Kelly, who thankfully got back on the board, Nazem Kadri, and Jaden Schwartz found the back of the net.

Those tallies came in addition to Gabe Landeskog scoring a nifty power play goal, with Nathan MacKinnon adding a highlight-reel marker.

One of the things that was evident was how the Avs went to the net. That made both Kadri and Landeskog’s goals possible.

Landeskog broke away from the boards, found an open spot, and got a nice feed to deposit in the yawning cage.

All told, the depth was crucial, with Schwartz racking up a 0.91 WAR in the game. Kelly had a 0.62 WAR, and MacKinnon, unsurprisingly, had a 0.68 WAR on the night.

Special teams showed a major improvement.

As for the special teams, Landeskog’s goal came on the power play. That marked a 1-for-2 effort, even if the fluke shorthanded goal essentially negated the positive impact of the power play tally.

Still, it’s a major positive to see the second unit get on the board. And it’s that situation which makes a compelling case for the Avs to start the second unit on every power play, and then bring out the top unit for the remaining period.

It might not be the prettiest approach, but it’s results that ultimately matter.

As for the penalty kill, that went 4-for-4 on the night. It was a step in the right direction. While there is still work to be done, it was a heck of a lot better than the 3-for-7 showing against the Predators last Sunday night.

Avalanche settled down following opening goal

The opening goal on Wednesday night had the makings of a back-breaker. Instead, the Avalanche rebounded and settled down. They played a heck of an overall game, eventually breaking down the Devils’ resistance.

The Devils just couldn’t keep up after playing the night before. You could tell New Jersey ran out of gas in the second period. Despite the late third-period goal, the Avs took care of business like they should have on Sunday night.

Moving forward, this game could have the makings of a statement performance that veteran teams make when they’re looking to right the ship.

The Avalanche will be off until Saturday night when they host the Calgary Flames. This is another chance to make a statement after an awful loss to the Flames in their previous meeting.

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