Game sheets · NHL
NEW JERSEY DEVILS @ COLORADO AVALANCHE
Wednesday, Oct 28, 2026 · 9:00 PM EDT · Ball Arena, Denver, CO · TV: ESPN+, MSGSN, Altitude Sports
NHL Regular Season · Lineups projected
Game preview
New Jersey (8-4-0, 16 points) visits Colorado (6-5-1, 13 points) for the second meeting of the season; the Oct 20 game was COL 3 @ NJ 4, a New Jersey win, and New Jersey leads the season series 1-0. Colorado enters 2-3 in its last five, including a 6-2 loss at Nashville, while New Jersey is 4-1 in its last five, with its only defeat a 4-2 loss at Washington. Colorado scores 4.08 goals per game and allows 3.25, while New Jersey scores 3.42 and allows 2.75 (ESPN). Colorado's Mackenzie Blackwood (5-3-0, .893) is the confirmed starter against Jake Allen (5-2-0, .886) for New Jersey. Colorado is without Zachary L'Heureux, who is on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and an estimated return of Nov 7.
- Colorado lost the Oct 20 meeting 4-3 at New Jersey, and tonight is the second meeting of the season.
- Nathan MacKinnon leads Colorado with 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in 12 games (ESPN).
- Nicolas Roy is listed as day-to-day by one injury report and as out by another, so his status is unresolved.
- Jack Hughes leads New Jersey with 14 points, 10 of them assists, in 12 games (ESPN).
Players to watch
- COLNathan MacKinnon: 21 points (7 G, 14 A) in 12 games, the most on the team (ESPN).
- COLArtturi Lehkonen: 10 goals in 12 games, the team lead (ESPN).
- COLMartin Necas: 16 points this season (DraftKings Network), behind only MacKinnon's 21 (ESPN).
- NJNico Hischier: 7 goals, 4 of them on the power play, the team lead in goals (ESPN).
- NJJack Hughes: 14 points (4 G, 10 A) and 4 power-play assists in 12 games (ESPN).
NEW JERSEY DEVILS(8-4-0 · 2nd in Metropolitan Division)
Forwards
| Line | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 70 | Jesper Boqvist | C | SWE | 27 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +4 |
| L1 | 17 | Evan Rodrigues | C | CAN | 33 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | -2 |
| L1 | 39 | Anthony Mantha | RW | CAN | 32 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 5 | -1 |
| L2 | 28 | Timo Meier | RW | SUI | 30 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| L2 | 13 | Nico Hischier | C | SUI | 27 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 9 | +5 |
| L2 | 77 | Luke Evangelista | RW | CAN | 24 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +3 |
| L3 | 63 | Jesper Bratt | LW | SWE | 28 | 12 | 2 | 9 | 11 | +3 |
| L3 | 86 | Jack Hughes | C | USA | 25 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 14 | +4 |
| L3 | 81 | Arseny Gritsyuk | RW | USSR | 25 | 12 | 6 | 4 | 10 | +6 |
| L4 | 98 | Amadeus Lombardi | C | CAN | 23 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -1 |
| L4 | 12 | Cody Glass | C | CAN | 27 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 |
| L4 | 16 | Connor Brown | RW | CAN | 32 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +2 |
As played Oct 27 at DAL, from NHL shift data; tonight's lines can change.
Defence
| Pair | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 71 | Jonas Siegenthaler | D | SUI | 29 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -1 |
| D1 | 7 | Dougie Hamilton | D | CAN | 33 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | +3 |
| D2 | 43 | Luke Hughes | D | USA | 23 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 6 | +4 |
| D2 | 22 | Brett Pesce | D | USA | 31 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +10 |
| D3 | 5 | Brenden Dillon | D | CAN | 35 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D3 | 8 | Johnathan Kovacevic | D | CAN | 29 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 |
| Ex | 47 | Declan Chisholm | D | CAN | 26 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
As played Oct 27 at DAL, from NHL shift data; tonight's lines can change. Ex: on the roster, not in that lineup.
Goalies
| # | Goalie | Ctry | Age | GP | W-L-OT | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Jake Allen* | CAN | 36 | 7 | 5-2-0 | 2.84 | .886 |
| 37 | Connor Hellebuyck | USA | 33 | 1 | 1-0-0 | 1.00 | .944 |
* Probable starter, confirmed per ESPN. Season stats per ESPN.
Last five
| Result | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| L | 4-2 | @ WSH |
| W | 4-3 | vs COL |
| W | 4-1 | vs ANA |
| W | 3-1 | vs LA |
| W | 5-1 | @ DAL |
Most recent first, per ESPN.
COLORADO AVALANCHE(6-5-1 · 4th in Central Division)
Forwards
| Line | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | 62 | Artturi Lehkonen | LW | FIN | 31 | 12 | 10 | 4 | 14 | +10 |
| L1 | 29 | Nathan MacKinnon | C | CAN | 31 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 21 | +4 |
| L1 | 88 | Martin Necas | C | CZE | 27 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 16 | +8 |
| L2 | 92 | Gabriel Landeskog | LW | SWE | 33 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 7 | -1 |
| L2 | 11 | Brock Nelson | C | USA | 35 | 12 | 3 | 5 | 8 | +2 |
| L2 | 91 | Nazem Kadri | C | CAN | 36 | 12 | 1 | 7 | 8 | +2 |
| L3 | 71 | Jaden Schwartz | LW | CAN | 34 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -2 |
| L3 | 9 | Fedor Svechkov | C | RUS | 23 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +6 |
| L3 | 13 | T.J. Hughes | RW | CAN | 24 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +1 |
| L4 | 8 | Cale Makar | LW | CAN | 27 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +3 |
| L4 | 17 | Parker Kelly | C | CAN | 27 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| L4 | 25 | Logan O'Connor | RW | USA | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ex | 10 | Nicolas Roy | C | CAN | 29 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Ex | 49 | Georgii Merkulov | C | RUS | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
As played Oct 25 at NSH, from NHL shift data; tonight's lines can change. Ex: on the roster, not in that lineup.
Defence
| Pair | # | Player | Pos | Ctry | Age | GP | G | A | P | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D1 | 27 | Brett Kulak | D | CAN | 32 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | +2 |
| D1 | 70 | Sam Malinski | D | USA | 28 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +6 |
| D2 | 7 | Devon Toews | D | CAN | 32 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +11 |
| D2 | 8 | Cale Makar | D | CAN | 27 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 11 | +3 |
| D3 | 42 | Josh Manson | D | USA | 35 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 4 | +5 |
| D3 | 84 | Brent Burns | D | CAN | 41 | 12 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -2 |
| Ex | 47 | Noah Juulsen | D | CAN | 29 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +2 |
As played Oct 25 at NSH, from NHL shift data; tonight's lines can change. Ex: on the roster, not in that lineup.
Goalies
| # | Goalie | Ctry | Age | GP | W-L-OT | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Mackenzie Blackwood* | CAN | 29 | 8 | 5-3-0 | 2.91 | .893 |
| 41 | Scott Wedgewood | CAN | 34 | 4 | 1-2-1 | 3.48 | .889 |
* Probable starter, confirmed per ESPN. Season stats per ESPN.
Last five
| Result | Score | Opponent |
|---|---|---|
| W | 5-2 | vs PIT |
| L | 3-2 | @ PHI |
| L | 4-3 | @ NJ |
| W | 6-3 | vs TB |
| L | 6-2 | @ NSH |
Most recent first, per ESPN.
Power play 1
| Team | Unit |
|---|---|
| NJ | Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, Luke Evangelista, Luke Hughes |
| COL | Nazem Kadri, Jaden Schwartz, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, T.J. Hughes |
The five skaters with the most power-play time together in each team's latest game with a power play, from NHL shift data.
Out
| Team | Player | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| COL | Zachary L'Heureux (LW) | Injured Reserve | Upper body, return Nov 7 |
| NJ | Seamus Casey (D) | Injured Reserve | Knee, return Nov 21 |
Injury report per ESPN.
Season series
| Date | Result |
|---|---|
| Oct 20 | COL 3 @ NJ 4 (NJ won) |
This season per ESPN; tonight is meeting 2.
Standings · Metropolitan Division
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hurricanes | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
| 2 | Devils * | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | Rangers | 14 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 15 |
| 4 | Islanders | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 14 |
| 5 | Capitals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 |
| 6 | Penguins | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Blue Jackets | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 8 | Flyers | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 10 |
Per ESPN; * tonight's teams.
Standings · Central Division
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wild | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 20 |
| 2 | Mammoth | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | Stars | 12 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 15 |
| 4 | Avalanche * | 12 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
| 5 | Predators | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 6 | Blues | 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 7 | Jets | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | Blackhawks | 12 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Per ESPN; * tonight's teams.
Team stats
| Stat | NJ | COL |
|---|---|---|
| GAA | 2.75 | 3.25 |
| SA/G | 23.4 | 28.5 |
| PPGA | 7 | 9 |
| SHGA | 0 | 0 |
| GF/G | 3.42 | 4.08 |
| SF/G | 33.5 | 29.3 |
| PPG | 7 | 7 |
| SHG | 1 | 0 |
| PIM | 72 | 115 |
Season to date per ESPN.
Team leaders
| Team | Category | Player | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| NJ | Goals | Nico Hischier | 7 |
| NJ | Assists | Jack Hughes | 10 |
| NJ | Points | Jack Hughes | 14 |
| COL | Goals | Artturi Lehkonen | 10 |
| COL | Assists | Nathan MacKinnon | 14 |
| COL | Points | Nathan MacKinnon | 21 |
Season to date per ESPN.
Odds
| Line |
|---|
| COL -148, O/U 6.5 (DraftKings) |
Per ESPN.
Notes
- Lines are from each team's latest game (NHL shift data, COL Oct 25, NJ Oct 27) and may shift; Roy's status conflicts between sources.
- Stats are 2026-27 regular season, season to date as of Oct 28, 2026 (ESPN); the sheet's standings and records are ESPN's.
- Ctry = birth country: CAN Canada, USA United States, SWE Sweden, FIN Finland, CZE Czechia, SUI Switzerland, RUS Russia.
- Out: IR-LT = injured reserve, long-term; DTD = day-to-day; IR = injured reserve.
Sources
- ESPN – game data (Oct 28): https://www.espn.com/nhl/game/_/gameId/401892598
- SportBusy – NHL injury report (undated): https://www.sportbusy.com/injuries/nhl/
- livinghockey – NHL injury report, conflicting (undated): https://livinghockey.com/injuries
- Inside the Rink – NJ at COL preview (Oct 28): https://insidetherink.com/nhl-game-preview-new-jersey-devils-at-colorado-avalanche-with-line-combinations-10-28-2026/
Game sheet generated