The New Jersey Devils will try to extend their winning streak to three games when they face the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night.
Colorado is currently on a five-game road trip and will play the second game of a back-to-back after a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
Cole Makar ended an eight-game goal drought, Valeri Nichushkin also scored, and Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves to help the Avalanche, who had lost three of their last four games.
“He was outstanding,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar about Georgiev. “Especially when we needed him. (He made) key saves to keep it 1-0, key saves to keep it 2-1, and then the flurry at the end.”
Nichushkin opened the scoring in the first period with his third goal in two games and sixth of the season since his return on Nov. 15.
“He’s been huge for us,” said Makar. “(He) eats a lot of minutes and (is) starting to play really well. (He’s) starting to drive his feet, and when he’s driving his feet, really nobody in the league can stop him, so (it’s) fun to watch.”
Ross Colton, who missed 17 games with a broken foot, returned and played 13 minutes and 16 seconds, with three shots on goal and a plus-1 rating.
The Avalanche are expected to start goalie Scott Wedgewood on Sunday. Wedgewood, who previously played for the Devils, was traded to Colorado after serving as a backup goalie for the Nashville Predators in late November. He has faced the Devils five times and has won all three of his starts, with a .958 save percentage and 1.28 goals-against average.
The Devils began their five-game homestand with a 3-2 win against the Seattle Kraken on Friday. They will also face Toronto, Los Angeles, and Chicago during the stretch.
Jesper Bratt had a goal and an assist in his 500th NHL game, while Timo Meier and Luke Hughes also scored against Seattle. Jack Hughes added two assists, and Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves. The Devils have won six of their last eight games.
“We’re starting a (five-game) home stretch, and we wanted to come out and win this first game,” Meier said. “It wasn’t pretty, but we found a way. Maybe a puck bounced our way, but you got to earn those sometimes.”
Bratt has nine points in his past four games (three goals, six assists), including a four-point performance on Monday in a 5-1 win against the Rangers.
Jack Hughes had the primary assist on his brother Luke’s first goal of the season. Luke Hughes, a defenseman, was thrilled with his first career goal, saying, “I mean, 20 games is enough for me (to score my first goal), so good for me to break through and a big win for our team.”
Forward Tomas Tatar also made his return to the Devils lineup after missing two games due to a lower-body injury, playing 11 minutes and 32 seconds.
