Devils Inability to Score, Nečas 3 Point Night Leads to 5-1 Loss to Avalanche

Author: John Welch

The New Jersey Devils struggles to score continued last night in a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

Feb 26, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) slams his stick into the boards as he is replaced by goaltender Nico Daws (50) in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Game Recap:

Opening Minutes

Colorado opened up the game to a fast start, posting five shots on goal within the first 90 seconds. From the start, the Devils knew that Jake Allen would have to be stellar in order for the Devils to win. 

Artturi Lehkonen opened up the scoring with just over 11 minutes in the first period. Former Hurricane, Martin Necas, would assist that goal. Necas would finish the night with 3 points all coming from assists.

The Devils killed a 5 on 3 after a Jack Hughes delay of game penalty, and got rewarded with a power play on their own, but failed to score. This month, the Devils’ power play is around 18%, which is a major dip off from last month at 25%. The Devils are 3rd in the league with 25% of their goals coming from the power play.

2nd Period

New Jersey found more opportunities in the second period than the first period. This included a one on one chance for Jack Hughes which never touched the net. In addition, Mackenzie Blackwood, former Devils’ goaltender, held his ground and continued to shutout the Devils going into the 3rd period. Jake Allen also made some big saves and gave the Devils a chance to comeback in the 3rd period. It looked like this game was going to come down to one or two defensive mistakes for either team.

The Worst Period of the Season?

It only took the Avalanche three minutes to score their next goal. This time, Nathan Mackinnon was the one to score on the power play. On the bright side for the Devils, Jack Hughes would score the next goal making it 2-1. The Devils continued to create chances and got a two on one breakaway with six minutes left, but the play was whistled dead after a tripping by Ondrej Palat. Mackinnon would score again on probably the luckiest deflection ever to make it 3-1. After that goal, the Devils were shutdown as Colorado scored two more goals to make it 5-1.

What Happens Next?

The Devils have to make a trade as soon as possible. The 3rd and 4th lines looked lost out there and this team relies too much on the Hughes, Bratt, Palat line against good opponents. Timo Meier had some amazing chances but could not produce anything offensively. I already mentioned Simon Nemec and how I believe the Devils need to trade him to get a valuable scorer. The link to that article can be found here. Jake Allen is now 0-10-0 when the Devils score less than three goals. It is unfortunate because the Devils goalies have played so well this season, but the lack of scoring from the 3rd and 4th lines have turned good performances into losses. While there are many players out there who would fit the Devils system, it is hard to point to who can fix this problem. If we can conclude anything about last night, it is that Tom Fitzgerald must make a move by the March 7th deadline if this team wants any chance of postseason hockey.