Devils vs. Avalanche Recap: Four-Goal 3rd, Makar and Lehkonen Cash

The Avalanche beat the Devils 5-2 in Colorado on Wednesday night, and the shot chart was one-sided. Colorado outshot New Jersey 44-22. The Devils still led 1-0 into the middle of the 2nd after Connor Brown scored shorthanded at 12:21 of the 1st. Gabriel Landeskog tied it on the power play at 10:58 of the 2nd, then Colorado scored four times in the 3rd: Nazem Kadri at 2:45, Parker Kelly at 3:47, Nathan MacKinnon at 12:00 and Jaden Schwartz at 12:30. Brown added his second of the night late. Jake Allen made 39 saves on 44 shots for New Jersey. Two DARIMARKET plays cashed on this game.

What cashed

Cale Makar 2+ shots on goal (-280 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Makar had 2+ shots in 9 of his last 10 and 17 of his last 20 on 21-23 minutes a night, and the Devils were on the back half of a back-to-back after Dallas. - What happened: Makar put 6 shots on goal in 25:51 of ice time, 3:09 of it on the power play. That cleared the line by 4.5 shots. He had no points, but the shot volume was never in doubt on a night Colorado fired 44 on net. - Worth watching: Makar's minutes ran even higher than the range in our read. When Colorado controls the puck like this, his shot count is one of the steadier props on the board, but the price was already steep at -280, so the number matters.

Artturi Lehkonen 1+ points (-135 at DraftKings): CASHED - Our read: Lehkonen had points in 9 of 12 games this season, 5 straight and 7 of his last 10, skating left wing on the MacKinnon-Necas top line plus PP2, against a confirmed Jake Allen (.886 save %). - What happened: Lehkonen finished with 1 assist, 2 shots on goal and 18:33 of ice time. The point came on MacKinnon's goal at 12:00 of the 3rd, which made it 4-1 Colorado. He cleared the line by 0.5. - Worth watching: The angle was linemate access. Riding with MacKinnon is what got him on the sheet here, so his point prop is worth a look as long as that top-line spot holds.

How the game played out

The game was tied 1-1 after 40 minutes, with Allen keeping the Devils level. Then Colorado scored four goals in under 10 minutes of the 3rd, the last two 30 seconds apart at 12:00 and 12:30. Mackenzie Blackwood made 20 saves on 22 shots for the Avalanche. Colorado scored once on 2 power plays. New Jersey came up empty on its 3 power plays but got a shorthanded goal of its own.

Trends to watch

• Shot volume: Colorado's 44 shots doubled New Jersey's 22. When a team tilts the ice this hard, shot props on its top defensemen and forwards get extra runway.
• Goalie workload: Allen faced 44 shots and stopped 39. He gave the Devils a chance for two periods, but a workload like that on the back half of a back-to-back is hard to hold up for 60 minutes.
• Depth scoring: Kadri, Kelly and Schwartz all scored in the 3rd, so the goals came from well beyond the top line.

Stats are from the ESPN box score. More hockey on the NHL hub, every recap at NHL recaps, and what a player prop is in our glossary.