The New Jersey Devils went into their matchup on Sunday afternoon with a seven-game winning streak. They just beat the San Jose Sharks on Friday night in a slog of a game, but they had a day in between games and a chance to focus their energy on the Colorado Avalanche.
Meanwhile, the Avalanche played on Saturday, losing to the lowly Boston Bruins. This was two teams, who are still at the top of the standings, coming in with very different energy and confidence levels.
Nobody would have guessed they were any different.
The Devils punched the Avs in the mouth early, scoring two goals within two minutes of each other early in the first period.