Columbus Blue Jackets (70 pts) vs. New Jersey Devils (74 pts) Game Preview
Russell LaBounty-Imagn ImagesThe Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils will play for the second time this season and will play again next Monday.
Columbus strolls into New Jersey, having just blown out the New York Rangers on Sunday. Now, they’ll get a struggling Devils team that sits four points ahead of Columbus in the Metro Standings. Fresh off the news that Jack Hughes and Jonas Siegenthaler will miss the rest of the season and Dougie Hamilton will miss some “extended time,” now is the time to strike for the Blue Jackets.
The Jackets have the fifth-hardest schedule to finish the season, but they have to take advantage of struggling teams like New Jersey and New York. They took care of the Rangers; now, they have to take care of Jersey.
Devils Stats
- Power Play – 28.0% - 4th in NHL
- Penalty Kill – 82.5% - 4th in NHL
- Goals For – 192 – 14th – 2.95 GPG – 14th
- Goals Against – 164 – 2nd – 2.52 GPG – 2nd
Series History vs. The Devils
- Columbus is 12-9-4 on the road and 29-19-4 in 52 all-time games against the Devils.
- The Blue Jackets are 2-2-1 in the last five overall against the Devils
Who To Watch For The Devils
- Jesper Bratt leads the Devils with 53 assists and 70 points.
- Nico Hischier has 26 goals and 70 points.
- Jacob Markstrom is 21-12-5 with a SV% of .907. He also has 3 shutouts.
- Jake Allen is 10-13-1 with a SV% of .908. He has 4 shutouts.
CBJ Player Notes vs. The Devils
- James van Riemsdyk has 36 points in 51 career games against the Devils.
- Boone Jenner has 19 points in 34 games.
- Ivan Provorov has 21 points in 36 games vs. New Jersey
Injuries
- Erik Gudbranson (upper body) is on Injured Reserve on Oct. 16 (60 Games)
- Sean Monahan (upper body) is on Injured Reserve retroactive to Jan. 7 (22 Games)
- Kevin Labanc (shoulder) is on Injured Reserve as of Feb. 21 and out for the season (7 Games)
- Cole Sillinger is day-to-day with an upper body injury (4 Games)
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 270
How to Watch & Listen: Tonight's game will be on FanDuel Sports Network. Steve Mears will be on the play-by-play. The radio broadcast will be on 97.1 The Fan, with Bob McElligott behind the mic doing the play-by-play.
Let us know what you think below.
Stay updated with the most interesting Blue Jackets stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News and never miss a story.