NEWARK — The Devils needed a strong start to an important week, and they did just enough to edge the NHL’s lowest team in the standings.
Two second-period goals to take the lead for good, plus 28 saves from goalie Cory Schneider, were enough to lift the Devils past the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2, on Tuesday at the Prudential Center.
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The Devils got to Avalanche goaltender Jeremy Smith early in his NHL debut, with Pavel Zacha scoring his seventh goal of the season when he punched a rebound over Smith at 2:04 in the first period.
After the Avalanche tied the game in the second period, the Devils scored two in a row, starting with Andy Greene two seconds into a power play. Greene’s slap shot off a faceoff was originally waved off for goaltender interference on Miles Wood, but a Devils challenge overturned that call for Greene’s fourth goal at 8:55.
Kyle Palmieri then started a 2-on-1 rush when he banked a pass off the boards to himself. Palmieri fed a streaking Taylor Hall, who then hit Palmieri at the right post for an easy tap in and a 3-1 lead at 16:25.
The Avalanche capitalized off a pair of mistakes in the second period to keep the game tight. First Miles Wood negated a Devils power play with a high sticking call, and when the Avalanche went onto their own power play 49 seconds later, Mark Barberio scored on a pass across the crease from Gabriel Landeskog to tie the game at 1-1 at 6:43.
After the Devils pulled ahead by two goals in the second, Matt Duchene stole the puck from Devils forward P.A. Parenteau in the Devils’ defensive zone before hitting Mikhail Grigorenko in the slot for a goal to make it 3-2 at 18:34.
Injuries: Coach John Hynes said forward Beau Bennett was very close to a return, but he missed his ninth straight game due to a lower body injury suffered while blocking a puck on Jan. 20. Defenseman Kyle Quincey skated with the team during Tuesday’s morning skate, but he missed his third straight game with an upper body injury.
Defenseman Jon Merrill returned to the lineup after missing the past four games.
Next up: The Devils begin an important four-game stretch against other Eastern Conference teams in the race for the playoffs when they host the Ottawa Senators at 7 p.m. on Thursday.
They then play the New York Islanders back-to-back days — in Newark on Saturday and Brooklyn on Sunday — before hosting the Senators again on Tuesday, Feb. 21.
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Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.
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