Avalanche at Devils
THE STORY: Jamie McGinn has provided a shot in the arm to the postseason aspirations of the Colorado Avalanche. Since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks, McGinn has collected seven goals in eight contests while endearing himself to his new team. The Avalanche will vie for their fourth straight win on Thursday when they invade the Garden State to face the New Jersey Devils.
TV: 7 p.m. ALT, MSG+2
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (38-30-4): McGinn scored twice - with the latter tally coming with two seconds left in regulation - in Wednesday's 5-4 shootout victory over the Buffalo Sabres. The victory enabled Colorado to snap a four-way tie for eighth place in the Western Conference standings. Rookie Gabriel Landeskog continued his charge toward the Calder Trophy by netting his 20th goal - and second in as many games. Landeskog, who has recorded 16 points in 14 contests, had an assist in Colorado's 6-1 victory over New Jersey on Nov. 30.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (40-25-5): New Jersey became the latest victim of Ilya Bryzgalov's dominating stretch as it saw its four-game winning streak come to an end with a 3-0 setback to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. The Devils' third shutout in nine games also sent them back to sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Rookie C Adam Henrique is mired in a 13-game goalless drought while RW Dainius Zubrus has just one tally in his last 18 contests.
OVERTIME:
1. Colorado G Semyon Varlamov denied all three attempts in the shootout to collect his eighth win in 10 outings. The 23-year-old Russian wasn't too busy in his previous start versus New Jersey, turning aside 18 shots.
2. New Jersey RW Ilya Kovalchuk sits one goal shy of 400 for his career. The NHL's second star of the week, Kovalchuk has three tallies and eight points in eight career contests versus the Avalanche. He scored his team's lone goal against Colorado earlier this season.