Nazem Kadri and Parker Kelly scored 1:02 apart early in a four-goal third period to break a tie game, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 in Denver on Wednesday night.
Kadri also added an assist, Jaden Schwartz had a goal and an assist and Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon also scored for Colorado, which lost defenseman Josh Manson to a lower-body injury late in the first period.
Manson was injured when he twisted awkwardly along the boards while battling for the puck. He didn’t play in the second period and was ruled out before the start of the third.
Brent Burns’ two assists moved him into 10th place all-time in points by a defenseman with 950, Sam Malinski also had two assists and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 20 shots for Colorado.
Connor Brown scored his first two goals of the season and Jake Allen made 39 saves for New Jersey, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.
The Avalanche went on the power play in the first period but the Devils struck first. Brown stole MacKinnon’s pass in the New Jersey zone, skated down the right side and his pass attempt through the slot deflected off Cale Makar’s skate and through Blackwood’s pads at 12:21.
It was the fourth short-handed goal Colorado has allowed this season.
The Avalanche outshot the Devils 21-6 in the second period and got even on their second power play when Schwartz sent the puck through the slot to Landeskog, and he stuffed it inside the post at 10:58.
New Jersey got its first power-play chance late in the second and then had a 5-on-3 advantage when Burns was called for tripping with 32 seconds left in the period.
The Avalanche killed off both minors to keep it tied, and then they got the lead moments later when Kadri beat Allen at 2:45 and Kelly’s wrister at 3:47 made it a two-goal lead.
MacKinnon iced it when he scored on a breakaway at 12:00, Schwartz scored 30 seconds later and Brown answered at 15:35.
–Field Level Media
