Devils defenseman Will Butcher, who signed a two-year, entry-level contract on Aug. 27, also will make his NHL debut. Butcher became a free agent after not signing with the Avalanche, who selected him in the fifth round (No. 123) of the 2013 NHL Draft. The Avalanche won 4-2 at the New York Rangers in their season opener Thursday. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier is expected to start. Center Matt Duchene, the subject of trade rumors since last season, had a goal and an assist.
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Players to watch
Avalanche rookie forward Alex Kerfoot, picked by the Devils in the fifth round (No. 150) of the 2012 NHL Draft, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Avalanche on Aug. 24. Devils goaltender Cory Schneider, expected to start, is looking to bounce back from his worst statistical season in 2016-17 when he had an NHL career-high 2.82 goals-against average and career-low .908 save percentage in 60 games.
They said it
"I want to get back to contributing offensively; I'm always going to play a 200-foot game and work hard and win battles all over the ice, but I want to get back to contributing offensively and get back to having that shot mentality." -- Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog "It's all about the positioning and my technique and maybe playing a little bit deeper and getting my footwork kind of back to where it needed to be, and again, I feel confident going in." -- Devils goalie Cory Schneider
Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said Zadorov would be in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch against the Rangers. ... The Avalanche recalled Lindholm from San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Thursday.
Stat pack
Bernier is 3-2-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average in six games against the Devils. ... Hall has 27 points (14 goals, 13 assists) in 24 games against the Avalanche.
