Ryan O’Hara Tue, October 20, 2026 at 11:49 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Avalanche were outplayed, outshot and on their heels for much of the opening period, but Gabe Landeskog ensured they had nothing to show for it on the scoreboard. Despite surrendering 14 shots and managing just four of their own, Colorado escaped the first 20 minutes tied 1-1 with the New Jersey Devils, thanks to Landeskog's late equalizer.
The defensive issues that plagued Colorado against the Flyers carried over into its matchup with the Devils. New Jersey came out flying, recording seven shots on goal in the opening five minutes while the Avalanche failed to register a single shot of their own.
Nathan MacKinnon endured a difficult start as well, getting knocked to the ice in his own defensive zone by Devils forward Dawson Mercer while away from the puck. Despite what appeared to be a clear interference penalty, no call was made.
New Jersey broke the deadlock at 6:40, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by Colorado. MacKinnon was unable to corral a loose puck in the defensive zone, allowing the Devils to regain possession. The puck eventually found Luke Evangelista, who fired it past Scott Wedgewood to give New Jersey an early 1-0 lead.
Landeskog responded with 5:28 remaining in the period, bringing the Avalanche back even. Cale Makar shook off a defender before slipping a backhanded pass to Landeskog at the top of the right circle. Landeskog fired on goal and buried his own rebound to tie the game at 1-1.
Colorado's defensive struggles continued late in the frame when Artturi Lehkonen was called for delay of game after shooting the puck over the glass with 1:38 remaining. The Devils immediately pressured the Avalanche net, crashing the crease and forcing Wedgewood to come up with several difficult stops to keep the game tied.
After 20 minutes, the score remained 1-1, but the shots on goal told a different story. New Jersey held a commanding 14-4 advantage, leaving Colorado with plenty to clean up heading into the second period.
The second period brought more of the same, as the Avalanche continued to struggle to generate offense while the Devils dictated the pace of play.
Seven minutes into the period, New Jersey held an 8-1 advantage in shots on goal, putting Scott Wedgewood under relentless pressure. However, the Colorado netminder stood tall, turning aside one shot after another to keep the Avalanche within striking distance.
As we approached the halfway point of the period, Parker Kelly came off the bench and made a power move to the net and tried to one hand a puck by Devils netminder Jake Allen, but was turned away.
New Jersey took a one-goal lead with 7:29 left in the period after Declan Chisholm ripped a slap shot from the point that redirected off Brock Nelson into his own net.
Source: Sports
