Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar dissects the season into 10-game segments, and his team completed the first segment near the top of the Western Conference.
The second one starts Tuesday night against the team that beat them in overtime Sunday — the red-hot New Jersey Devils.
New Jersey has won eight in a row after losing its opener and holds the best record in the NHL after its 4-3 home win over Colorado on Sunday afternoon. The Devils’ 16 points are tied with Utah for most in the league — with the Mammoth having played one more game.
One of the catalysts behind New Jersey’s early-season surge is the scoring of center Jack Hughes. He had two goals in Sunday’s game, including the winner in overtime, and ranks among the top three in the NHL with eight goals.
It isn’t all good news for the Devils, who kick off a four-game road trip without one of their top defensemen. Brett Pesce suffered an upper-body injury in the first period Sunday and didn’t return. He’s expected to miss some time, according to coach Sheldon Keefe.
“Yeah, he’s not great,” Keefe said. “He’s going to be out for sure.”
New Jersey will roll out a less-experienced defensive corps without Pesce, who has averaged nearly 20 minutes of ice time while pairing with 22-year-old Luke Hughes.
“Yeah, that hurts. That’s a tough blow,” Jack Hughes said of Pesce’s injury.
Colorado has dealt with injuries to its top players, including defenseman Samuel Girard (upper body) and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood. The latter has yet to play while recovering from offseason surgery for a lower-body injury.
Blackwood’s target to return was expected to be at the end of October. He went on a rehab assignment with the Colorado Eagles of the AHL, so his return seems imminent.
If he can return Tuesday night, as was speculated at the start of the season, he can help the Avalanche end a four-game skid. Colorado has earned three points during its losing streak and has just one regulation loss in 10 games.
Getting four points in five overall losses has Bednar optimistic about the start of the year.
“It’s a good segment,” Bednar said of the first 10 games. “I have no problem with the segment. I think we probably deserved better results in a couple of those games. We didn’t get them, so turn the page, move on, and follow it up with a good second segment.”
The Avalanche would benefit from more scoring by the bottom three lines. The top trio of Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, and Artturi Lehkonen has combined for 17 goals and 20 assists while the second line, consisting mainly of Brock Nelson, Valeri Nichushkin, and Gabriel Landeskog, collectively has 13 points.
Landeskog was shifted to the third line Sunday as Ross Colton ended the game skating with Nelson and Nichushkin.
Despite the lack of scoring depth, Colorado is near the top of the league in points.
“Collecting points is a good thing,” Nelson said. “Just try to improve on that and make the next 10 a little bit better.”
