Jack Hughes' first power play goal of the season could not have come at a more timely moment.
At 2:59 of the third period, Hughes rifled a shot past Pavel Francouz, the Avalanche netminder, Francouz's eyes were taken away by Nathan Bastian who was being used as the net-front presence on the first wave of the penalty kill.
Hughes' goal, his third of the season, was the lone goal that counted tonight (more on that later) with the Devils taking down the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche.
Vitek Vanecek posted his second consecutive victory, his first win streak as a Devil, and New Jersey put together an incredibly solid performance in what they called a 'benchmark' game.
"Honestly, it was a really good game," the goaltender said after the game, "the guys played really well and then we just scored a goal, that's the game. It's zero-zero, it's like who will score the first goal will win the game and I'm happy we did that."
Vanecek made 24 saves in the win, including eight saves on the Colorado powerplay, for his first victory at home in front of the Devils fans.
"The first thing was like win the (first) game as a New Jersey Devil, that was in Detroit and everything came down for me," Vanecek said, "That felt really good and now a home game so I'm really happy."
Devils Shutout Defending Champs | GAME STORY
A Jack Hughes power play goal in the third was the lone goal of the game between the Avs and Devils
