Avalanche rally in third period to hand Devils first loss

NEWARK, N.J. --Gabriel Landeskog had his third NHL hat trick for the Colorado Avalanche in a 5-3 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday.

Landeskog scored his third goal on a one-timer off a pass from Mikko Rantanen in the left face-off circle at 16:38 of the third period to give the Avalanche a 4-3 lead. Rantanen scored an empty-net goal at 19:47 to make it 5-3.
"I was hoping Rantanen] would give me the puck there and he did and at that point, you're just letting the mechanics of your shot take over," Landeskog said. "I didn't think too much except to just aim towards one side of the net and hope you get lucky."
***[WATCH: [All Avalanche vs. Devils highlights]*
Taylor Hall had a goal and two assists, Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, and Keith Kinkaid made 29 saves for New Jersey, which had won its first four games of the season (4-1-0) and was the last remaining undefeated team in the NHL.
"We found a way to dig in there in the third and give ourselves a chance, but at that point we just have to make sure, with four minutes left, that we're smart and protecting the house there," Devils captain Andy Greene said. "We needed to live to fight for another day and, at that point, make sure we play for the point and go from there."

Rantanen had a goal and three assists, Sven Andrighetto scored and Philipp Grubauer made 27 saves for Colorado (4-1-2). Nathan MacKinnon had three assists, ending his season-opening goal streak at six games.
"We felt confident playing anyone, but this is a very tough team," Landeskog said. "No team was left undefeated in the League and they're a good defensive team and we scored five goals on them. We knew Kinkaid was playing really well and we felt it would be a hard-checking game, but stuck to our game plan and got rewarded for it."
Hischier scored his first goal of the season on the power play to give the Devils a 1-0 lead 17:42 of the first period.
Andrighetto, who was making his season debut after missing the first six games because of a leg injury, scored to tie it 1-1 at 1:17 of the second period. His shot at the right post appeared to be saved by Kinkaid's glove, but a video review confirmed the puck crossed the goal line.
Landeskog gave the Avalanche a 2-1 lead when he skated down the right side and beat Kinkaid over his right shoulder on the power play at 7:08.
"[Landeskog] is a huge part of what we do," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "We fell behind in the third and he grinds out two goals and gets us a win. I loved his game. He had our team ready to play."

Hall scored his first of the season on a one-timer in the high slot to tie it 2-2 at 15:42. He took a pass from Greene at the top of the right circle before scoring inside the right post on a delayed penalty.
Brian Boyle gave New Jersey a 3-2 lead 6:22 into the third with a power-play goal, but Landeskog scored on a redirection in the slot to tie it 3-3 at 8:08.
"They're good defensively," Avalanche defenseman Ian Cole said. "You could see they were pushed hard by us and then they pushed back. Luckily, we kept coming back. We stuck to our game plan and got the win and it's a great sign for us. This was as complete as we've been this season."

They said it

"When [Rantanen] is skating and moving his feet, he's a strong guy and a lot to handle. He has the talent and ability when he's holding guys off to create separation and he can get his head up and find the open man, so if you're doing the right things and talking to him, he'll find you." -- Avalanche coach Jared Bednar
"I think Hall and Hischier have been playing some really good hockey and just haven't been getting rewarded as far as goals go, but it was nice to see them get on the score sheet. I'm sure they wish it would have been in a win, but now we'll collect ourselves, take a look at some video on Friday, and get ready to play the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday." -- Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri

Need to know

Rantanen has at least one point in all seven games for Colorado this season and leads the NHL with 11 assists. ... Palmieri had one assist, ending his goal streak at four games. ... Devils coach John Hynes had no update on center Travis Zajac, who left the game with an undisclosed injury 2:48 into the second period.

What's next

Avalanche:At the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; FS-SE, ALT, NHL.TV)
Devils:At the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; SN, NBCSP, MSG+, NHL.TV)