NEWARK, N.J. — Matt Duchene and Tyson Barrie goals staked the Avalanche to a lead and Reto Berra finished with 27 saves Tuesday night as Colorado held on to beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 at the Prudential Center.
The win, following a 5-3 loss to the New York Islanders in Brooklyn on Monday, gave the Avalanche a split of the first two games on a four-game trip.
The excursion continues Thursday against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Duchene, named Tuesday the NHL's No. 3 star for November, started December impressively. He opened the scoring at 2:10 of the second period, getting to an up-ice pass from Erik Johnson as New Jersey defenseman John Moore reacted indecisively.