NHL Spotlight: Taylor Hall, LW, New Jersey Devils
When: The Avalanche hosts the Devils on Friday in the second game of the two-game annual series between the teams. New Jersey beat the Avs 4-1 in its season opener Oct. 7 in Newark, N.J.
What’s up: Heading into Saturday’s game at Detroit, Hall led the Devils with 17 assists and 24 points in 22 games. He was on pace to eclipse his career-high 80 points in 2013-14 when he was with Edmonton.
Background: Hall, selected No. 1 overall by the Oilers in the 2010 draft, was traded from Edmonton to New Jersey for stay-at-home defenseman Adam Larsson before the 2016-17 season. The Devils received a top-six forward and the Oilers got a rugged and dependable defenseman.
Chambers’ take: Hall has become the offensive leader to a young and talented Devils team that is coming off a last-place finish in the 16-team Eastern Conference. The Devils were 13-5-4 entering Saturday and vying for first place in the Metropolitan Division. Edmonton, in comparison, has gone from a Western Conference playoff team to an 8-13-2 start.
