Kyle Palmieri powers Devils past Avalanche

NEWARK, N.J. -- Kyle Palmieri scored late in the second period and Cory Schneider made 28 saves to help the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche at Prudential Center on Tuesday.
Palmieri's goal off a 2-on-1 breakout with Taylor Hall gave the Devils a 3-1 lead at 16:25 of the second.
"I was just happy [Hall's pass] got there and it ended up in the back of the net," Palmieri said. "We did a good job in the offensive zone. We had a game plan, went out and kept things pretty simple, outworked them in their defensive zone. It's something we hope to continue."

WATCH: All Avalanche vs. Devils highlights
Palmieri said playing on a line with Hall and Travis Zajac has been rewarding the past month.
"We know we can play well together," Palmieri said. "You'll have nights where things don't go your way, but it wouldn't have been a surprise to any of us three if a couple more found the back of the net."
Pavel Zacha and Andy Greene also scored for New Jersey (24-22-10), which is 4-1-1 in its past six games.

Mark Barberio and Mikhail Grigorenko scored and Jeremy Smith made 37 saves in his NHL debut for Colorado (15-37-2).
"I thought [Smith] was fantastic, the best player by a country mile," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said.
Colorado has lost the first three of its five-game road trip and four straight overall.
"I thought we were a little slow tonight," Bednar said. "They were coming up with pucks, they were getting to the puck first most of the time, and that's why they carried the bulk of the play."
Grigorenko scored his sixth of the season from the slot after a steal by Matt Duchene in the right corner to pull the Avalanche within 3-2 with 1:26 left in the second period.
Greene scored his fourth of the season on the power play off a slap shot from the left point for a 2-1 lead 8:55 into the second. The goal was originally waved off for goalie interference against Miles Wood, but was overturned following a challenge by Devils coach John Hynes and subsequent video review.
Barberio, acquired off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on Feb. 2, scored a power-play goal off a pass from Gabriel Landeskog 6:43 into the second to make it 1-1.
Zacha gave the Devils a 1-0 lead when he scored off a backhand shot from the slot 2:04 into the first.
"That line (Zacha-Jacob Josefson-Stefan Noesen) has been playing great, and it was nice to see them get rewarded," Palmieri said.

Goal of the game

Palmieri created an odd-man rush with Hall after poking the puck over the stick of Barberio and starting the charge with Hall. "I thought he might be able to go on the breakaway himself, but maybe he didn't have the gas so I was kind of ready for a pass and he made the play," Hall said. "I saw the goalie was focused on me. I think some guys would quit on a play after making a pass on a 2-on-1, but Kyle followed it up and that was huge."

Save of the game

Smith, 27, made consecutive saves, first against Zajac from the slot and then against Hall at the right post 3:38 into the second to keep the Avalanche within a goal.

Highlight of the game

Greene's goal to give the Devils a 2-1 lead in the second required a video review. "The referee told me that if [Wood] hit me the same time puck goes in, it's no goal, but the puck went in a half-second before he knocked into me," Smith said. "He did his job screening me."

Unsung performance of the game

Devils defenseman Steven Santini tied Hall for the Devils lead with five shots on goal, and led New Jersey with four hits in 11:56.

They said it

"It's been a long 27 years to get to this point; it's not the end, it's just the beginning. I think I played well. There were probably a couple things I could have done a little different to give myself a better chance to make some saves, but I think there were a lot of good things to take from the game." -- Avalanche goaltender Jeremy Smith
"You don't ever want to lose two in a row, especially this time of the year. This was a game we needed to win, and we were ready to play." -- Devils goaltender Cory Schneider

Need to know

Duchene won 14 of 18 faceoffs, had two takeaways and one assist in 16:29. ... Devils defenseman Jon Merrill returned to the lineup after missing four games because of an upper-body injury and had two shots in 11:47. … The Devils ended a six-game losing streak against the Avalanche. They had not defeated Colorado since a shootout win on March 12, 2012.

What's next

Avalanche: At the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, NHL.TV)
Devils: Host the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, TSN5, RDS, NHL.TV)