Avalanche at Devils preview

AVALANCHE (3-1-2) at DEVILS (4-0-0)
7 p.m. ET; MSG+, ALT, NHL.TV

MacKinnon has scored in six straight games to set an Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques record (Mats Sundin scored in five straight for the Nordiques to start the 1992-93 season). MacKinnon, who has eight points (seven goals, one assist), had 97 points (39 goals, 58 assists) last season and finished second to Devils forward Taylor Hall for the Hart Trophy.
Palmieri (seven goals) is the first NHL player to score his team's opening goal in four consecutive games to begin a season. He can become the second to score the opening goal in five straight at any point in the regular season since Johnny Bucyk of the Boston Bruins from Dec. 2-11, 1965.
The Devils can start a season 5-0-0 for the first time since 1993-94 (7-0-0).

Players to watch

Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen (one goal, eight assists) has at least one point in each of Colorado's first six games.
Devils goalie Keith Kinkaid is 4-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average, .961 save percentage and two shutouts in four games.

They said it

"[New Jersey] is similar to us, they are really good off the rush. They have a couple good players in there and they can change the game, and we got to make sure we take time and space away from those guys." -- Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer
"[Colorado] is a team that knows what it takes to win. They have the high-octane offense and the high-flying guys and it's hard to defend. If we go out and impose our will, and be the team that's carrying the play and playing in the offensive zone, we'll be OK." -- Devils right wing Kyle Palmieri

Avalanche projected lineup

Gabriel Landeskog -- Nathan MacKinnon -- Mikko Rantanen
Alex Kerfoot -- Tyson Jost -- Colin Wilson
Matt Nieto -- Carl Soderberg -- Matt Calvert
Sven Andrighetto -- Vladislav Kamenev -- Gabriel Bourque
Samuel Girard -- Erik Johnson
Ian Cole -- Tyson Barrie
Nikita Zadorov -- Patrik Nemeth
Philipp Grubauer
Semyon Varlamov
Scratched:Mark Barberio, Sheldon Dries
Injured:J.T. Compher (concussion)

Devils projected lineup

Taylor Hall -- Nico Hischier -- Kyle Palmieri
Marcus Johansson -- Pavel Zacha -- Drew Stafford
Miles Wood -- Travis Zajac -- Blake Coleman
Brian Boyle -- Jean-Sebastien Dea -- Stefan Noesen
Mirco Mueller -- Sami Vatanen
Andy Greene -- Damon Severson
Will Butcher -- Ben Lovejoy
Keith Kinkaid
Eddie Lack
Scratched:Steven Santini, Eric Gryba, John Quenneville
Injured:Jesper Bratt (jaw), Cory Schneider (hip)

Status report

Andrighetto will make his season debut after missing six games with a leg injury. ... Grubauer will make his second start. ... Stafford replaces Quenneville in the lineup. ... Bratt has resumed skating on his own.

Stat pack

Colorado is 6-for-21 (28.6 percent) on the power play, with at least one power-play goal in five of six games. ... New Jersey has killed 13 straight power plays and ranks third in the NHL on the penalty kill at 92.8 percent.