Game Preview: Avalanche vs. Devils

COLORADO AVALANCHE (53-14-6) VS. NEW JERSEY DEVILS (26-41-6)
7:00 PM MT | BALL ARENA WATCH: ALTITUDELISTEN: 92.5AM
The Colorado Avalanche continue its back-to-back set of games against the visiting New Jersey Devils on Thursday Night. The matchup is set for 7:00 p.m. MT at Ball Arena.

Last night, the Avs added two more points to their belt in a massive 9-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings. Colorado last scored nine goals in a game on March 31, 2021 vs. Arizona and has notched 9+ goals in a game seven times since the club moved to Denver. With this win, the Avalanche went on to sweep the three game series this season over the Kings and picked up its 53rd win of the season, setting a new franchise record for wins in a single season.
Thursday's contest is the final meeting between the Colorado and New Jersey clubs this season. In their last meeting on March 8, the Avalanche fell to the Devils in a 3-5 match. After Thursday, the Avalanche squad will have one day off before meeting the Carolina Hurricanes at home on Saturday.

COLORADO-NEW JERSEY CONNECTIONS

Before relocating to New Jersey, the Devils were the Colorado Rockies for six seasons from 1976-82 ... Avs assistant general manager Craig Billington was drafted by the Devils (No. 23 overall, Round 2) in 1984 and played five-plus seasons in New Jersey (1985-1993)... Before being acquired by the Devils in 2021, Devils' defenseman Ryan Graves spent three seasons with Colorado.

HISTORY

Since relocating to Denver in 1995, the Avalanche is 20-15-4 against the Devils. The teams' shared history is best known for the 2001 Stanley Cup Final, which the Avalanche won in seven games.

ROSTER REPORT

Jack Johnson was a healthy scratch for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.
AVALANCHE VS DEVILS
AVALANCHE ARTICLES
Rapid Recap: Avalanche 9, Kings 3
Girls Growing the Game
Avalanche Sign Ben Meyers
GAME EXTRAS
Avalanche 360
Avalanche Tickets

SCOUTING THE DEVILS

The Devils are continuing their four game road trip in Denver on Thursday after grabbing a big win in Arizona Tuesday night with a 6-2 lead over the Coyotes. New Jersey sits in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, 18 points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Devils were previously on a five game losing streak, but that was snapped when they opened this roadtrip with a win over the Dallas Stars.

NUMBERS GAME

112
The Avalanche picked up its 53rd win of the season, setting a new franchise record for wins in a single season. Colorado's 112 points are tied with the 2013-14 club for the second-most in franchise history, trailing only the 2000-01 Avs' 118 points.
21
Valeri Nichushkin notched two goals to reach 21 this season for the first 20-goal campaign of his career. He is the seventh Avalanche player to hit the 20-goal mark this season, tied with the St. Louis Blues for the most in the league this season.
9
The last time the Avalanche scored nine goals in regulation was March 31, 2021 versus the Ariona Coyotes.

NOTEBOOK

The Colorado Avalanche announced on Wednesday that the team has signed forward Ben Meyers to a two-year contract through the 2022-23 season. Meyers, 23, just completed his junior year at the University of Minnesota, where he served as captain in 2021-22 and recorded 41 points (17g/24a) in 34 games… Mikko Rantanen recorded his 150th career power play point… Rantanen also tallied an assist to reach 87 points this season and equal his career high set in 2018-19… Nathan MacKinnon picked up his third-career hat trick and first since Dec. 28, 2015 at San Jose. He matched his career best with five points (3G, 2A), his first five-point outing since March 2, 2018 vs. Minnesota…