Scott Wedgewood stopped them all again. Only this time, he did it in a full 60-minute effort.
The Avalanche’s newest goalie made 25 saves against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday to lead them to a 4-0 victory. It’s the first shutout for any of Colorado’s netminders this season and comes in just his second start and third appearance since being acquired.
Ross Colton, Logan O’Connor, Artturi Lehkonen, and Parker Kelly scored for the Avalanche, who improved to 16-13-0 after winning two road games in two nights. Colton’s tally, his first since returning from injury, stood as the game-winning goal and came just 4:06 into regulation. Like the prior night in Detroit, Colorado scored first and did not relinquish the lead the rest of the way. The Avs led for more than 49 minutes on Saturday and 55 minutes on Sunday. They had a strong defensive effort in both games and played their system well.
Jared Bednar’s club held the Devils to just 25 shots. They weathered an early storm for the third straight game before locking in defensively. New Jersey had eight shots in the first 10 minutes but the only shot for the Avs beat goalie Jake Allen. Colorado then took control and held them to just four shots in the next 30 minutes of play. Wedgewood faced two shots in the second period. By the time the third period began, Colorado had a stranglehold 3-0 lead and an 18-12 shot advantage.
All this on the second of a back-to-back. Now, the Avs have an opportunity to win 4-of-5 on their road trip in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Good: Scott Wedgewood
Let’s dive into the netminder’s numbers in Colorado.
Wedgewood is rocking a shiny .951 save percentage in three games. In the relief game, he entered with his team trailing 4-0 and was a perfect 22-for-22 as the Avs climbed back and won 5-4. You have to hand it to the superstars and the team’s overall offense for executing such a great come-from-behind win.
But at the same time, Wedgewood played a huge role in ensuring it would only take five goals to earn the two points.
In the shutout, Wedgewood replicated what he did in Carolina and weathered an early storm to allow the Avs to score the first goal for the third straight game. And like he did in his relief appearance, he didn’t let in a goal and was a perfect 26-for-26.
Georgiev played well on Friday. Wedgewood played well on Saturday.
Good: Mittelstadt and Colton chemistry
Casey Mittelstadt’s recent struggles are well documented. Against the Red Wings, he finally found his way onto the scoresheet for the first time in eight games with a secondary assist on Valeri Nichushkin’s goal. But he still wasn’t quite playing his game. Bednar put a returning Colton on the left wing with the pair, which pushed Nikolai Kovalenko down the lineup.
Something about that switch has seemed to reinvigorate the Avs’ No. 2 center. He had two primary assists.
On the opening goal, he looked more like the slick playmaker he usually is, making plays from behind the net to set up Colton in front. There’s something about that duo playing with Nichushkin that’s really starting to grow on me.
On the third goal, Mittelstadt picked up a loose puck that was fumbled away by New Jersey and instantly looked up the ice to spring Lehkonen in all alone. His confidence is showing, and it’s leading to better decisions.
Bad: Devils at home
This was something I highlighted before the back-to-back began, but the much-improved New Jersey Devils are having a brutal time at home this season. They’re 7-6-2 and have been shut out in three of their past seven games at Prudential Center.
Meanwhile, on the road, they’re 11-4-0 and have won eight of their last 10.
