The Colorado Avalanche suffered their fourth straight defeat (0-1-3)on Sunday at the hands of the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.
The 4-3 overtime loss was a gut punch, particularly coming after the 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at the TD Garden.
The Avalanche, playing on consecutive days, put forth a fantastic effort. The club got a great start from Trent Miner, who bought the club enough time to erase a 2-0 deficit. Miner’s performance, two soft goals notwithstanding, was solid.
Colorado fought back from a 3-2 deficit to send the game into overtime. But it was a crucial defensive mistake that ended the Avalanche’s evening on a sour note.
Here’s a look at the fateful play that led to the overtime winner:
JACK HUGHES MISSES THE FIRST LOOK, BUT CONVERTS ON THE SECOND AND THE DEVILS WIN IN OT 🔥🔥🚨🚨 pic.twitter.com/VgZP8SgHAe
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) October 26, 2025
Firstly, Hughes made an absolutely filthy move on Martin Necas. Necas had no clue how to defend against Hughes, allowing the Devils’ forward to do as he pleased. Hughes missed on the backhand, allowing Cale Makar to pick up the puck as it came along the board.
Then, Makar shoveled the puck to Necas, who attempted to play with his hand. The replay shows how Necas was already heading up ice before he gained control of the puck. That awful miscue facilitated Simon Nemec to retrieve Necas’ misplayed puck.
The rest is history.
The crucial defensive mistake cost the Avalanche a victory and a second point in the standings. Now, some might believe I’m nitpicking here. But it’s the small details that win and lose games. It’s also the details that separate contending teams from run-of-the-mill squads.
Necas’ costly mental gaffe gave New Jersey a huge win. By getting ahead of himself, Necas allowed a savvy player to get a scoring chance he wouldn’t otherwise have gotten.
Hopefully, Sunday evening’s game will go down as a lesson learned. The focus will now turn to facing the Devils once more at Ball Arena on Tuesday night. The meeting will be the second and final encounter between the two clubs. The expectation is that the Avalanche will be able to shake off the current funk they are in.