Jake Allen makes 31 saves as Devils hold off Avalanche 4-3
Declan Chisholm scored his first Devils goal to put New Jersey ahead, and Colorado’s two late goals could not erase a three-goal deficit.
The New Jersey Devils beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 in Newark on Tuesday, October 20, after Declan Chisholm broke a tie with a second-period power-play goal and Jake Allen made 31 saves, according to the Associated Press. Colorado scored twice late but ran out of time to complete a comeback from 4-1 down.
New Jersey was coming off a 4-2 loss at Washington. The win marks the result of the matchup covered in NewsJaws’ preview of the Devils’ home game against the Avalanche. Colorado arrived after losing 3-2 at Philadelphia on Monday.
How the Devils built their lead
Luke Evangelista opened the scoring at 6:40 of the first period before Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog tied it at 14:32. Chisholm scored at 12:33 of the second period, his first goal for New Jersey, to put the Devils ahead for good. NHL.com had listed Chisholm among New Jersey’s defensemen and Evangelista among its forwards before the game.
Arseny Gritsyuk added his fourth goal of the season at 4:39 of the third period. Jesper Boqvist scored into an empty net at 16:05, stretching New Jersey’s lead to 4-1. Colorado goaltender Scott Wedgewood made 37 saves against his former team, but the Avalanche lost for the third time in four games, the AP reported.
Colorado’s late push and Allen’s milestone
Artturi Lehkonen cut the deficit at 16:46 of the third period and scored again with 3.5 seconds remaining. His second goal was his team-leading eighth of the season. Allen’s 31 saves helped New Jersey withstand that late push and secure its fourth win in six home games.
Before puck drop, Allen was honored for playing his 500th NHL game earlier in October. NHL.com had identified him as New Jersey’s projected starter. The AP reported that Tuesday’s win improved his record to 4-2-0.
The Devils are scheduled to host the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday, while the Avalanche host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Friday. Colorado defenseman Brent Burns played his 1,015th consecutive game in Newark, leaving him 49 games from tying Phil Kessel’s NHL ironman record, according to the AP.
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Sources and context
- Jake Allen makes 31 saves as the Devils defeat the Avalanche 4-3Associated Press, carried by Yahoo Sports
- Avalanche at Devils projected lineupsNHL.com
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.