The New Jersey Devils went into their matchup on Sunday afternoon with a seven-game winning streak. They just beat the San Jose Sharks on Friday night in a slog of a game, but they had a day in between games and a chance to focus their energy on the Colorado Avalanche.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche played on Saturday, losing to the lowly Boston Bruins. This was two teams, who are still at the top of the standings, coming in with very different energy and confidence levels.
Nobody would have guessed they were any different.
The Devils punched the Avs in the mouth early, scoring two goals within two minutes of each other early in the first period. Arseny Grityuk had a beautiful goal to put the Devils in front, and Jack Hughes responded not far after him.
The Avs bounced right back, scoring two goals in the back half of the period. Valeri Nichushkin and Nathan MacKinnon put the puck in the back of the net, sending us to the first intermission tied at two.
In the second period, the Avs dominated. The Devils had trouble getting out of the defensive zone, and they only recorded three shots on the period. One of those shots happened to be a breakaway goal by Connor Brown, giving the Devils the lead.
With about six minutes left in the game, Brock Nelson scored his second of the season, and that ended up being the last goal we saw in regulation.
That’s when Jack Hughes brought the heroics. He had a little help, though.
Hughes made an incredible play, giving himself an opportunity in all alone. He skated through the defense, and he had a chance to net the game winner. Trent Miner, who played well for the Avalanche, stopped the shot, and it went behind the net. The Avalanche then ran into Simon Nemec, who had his best game of the season. He gave Hughes a second chance.
"Put a pitchfork in this one! It's 8 in a row!!" - @DonLagreca on Jack Hughes electric overtime winner to keep #NJDevils perfect at The Rock this season.@KenDaneykoMSG | @NJDevils pic.twitter.com/Y8xrk91rYi
— Devils on MSG (@DevilsMSGN) October 26, 2025
The Devils now have their sixth-longest win streak in team history. If they win another game, which happens to come against the Avalance on the road on Tuesday, they will move tied for fourth. The Devils’ longest win streak was 13, which they did twice (and last did it in the 2022-23 season).
Hughes secured another Devils victory, and he’s showcasing himself as one of the best players in the NHL. Another win in the books, and the Devils extend their lead in the Metropolitan Division to three points over the Pittsburgh Penguins and two points over the Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference lead.