Avalanche Face Devils After Loss to Flyers in New Jersey

Colorado and New Jersey entered their October 20, 2026, matchup at Prudential Center looking to recover from defeats in their previous games. The Avalanche faced the Devils at 7 p.m. EDT after losing 3-2 to Philadelphia, while New Jersey sought a response to its 4-2 loss against Washington in an early-season meeting between two teams looking to improve their records.

According to the game preview published by Yahoo Sports, Colorado began the matchup with a 5-3-1 record, while New Jersey stood at 4-4-0. The Avalanche were playing the second game of a back-to-back road stretch, giving them less recovery time than the Devils, who had last played Washington on Saturday.

Colorado's 3-2 defeat against the Flyers came at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Martin Necas and T.J. Hughes scored for the Avalanche, according to Sportsgambler.com's October 20 preview. New Jersey also entered the contest after a road loss, with Arseni Gritsyuk and Timo Meier scoring in the Devils' 4-2 defeat to the Capitals at Capital One Arena.

Colorado's offensive production was led by Nathan MacKinnon, Artturi Lehkonen and Martin Necas, according to Mile High Hockey. MacKinnon had six goals and 16 points, Lehkonen had six goals and nine points, and Necas recorded 11 points. Defenseman Cale Makar had also collected nine points during the season.

MacKinnon's production was even higher in the recent-game statistics cited by Sportsgambler.com, which listed him with 17 points, including six goals and 10 assists, over the previous 10 games. Necas had 13 points, with five goals and seven assists, over the same period.

Colorado was expected to make a change in goal after Mackenzie Blackwood started against Philadelphia. Mile High Hockey projected Scott Wedgewood to start against New Jersey, citing his .902 save percentage and 2.40 goals-against average. Blackwood had received seven starts compared with Wedgewood's two at the time of the preview.

The Avalanche also faced roster limitations. Mile High Hockey reported that Zach L'Heureux and Nic Roy remained away from the team, while Logan O'Connor was unavailable until he could be activated from long-term injured reserve after missing 10 games. Colorado had traveled without an extra player, making additional lineup changes unlikely.

New Jersey's attack was led by Jack Hughes, who had nine points through eight games, while Jesper Bratt had seven points and Nico Hischier led the team with four goals, according to Mile High Hockey. The preview also anticipated Luke Evangelista's return after a brief absence.

The Devils were expected to start Jake Allen, who had started five games. Sportsgambler.com listed Allen with a 3.18 goals-against average and a .876 save percentage, while Colorado's Blackwood had a 2.80 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage in the statistics published by the outlet.

The teams had split their previous 10 head-to-head meetings, according to Sportsgambler.com. Colorado won their most recent encounter 8-4 at Ball Arena, while the Devils entered the October matchup seeking to improve a record that stood at .500 after eight games.