The New Jersey Devils jumped the CBJ early in the first for three goals and never looked back.
Mathieu Olivier(14,15) and Kirill Marchenko(25) scored the goals for the Jackets, and Elvis Merzļikins could only stop 23 of the 28 Devils shots in a 5-3 loss in the Prudential Center on Tuesday night.
This game got ugly in a hurry. The Devils played a desperate game, knowing that a Columbus win would move them to within two points of third place in the Metro Division. The Jackets didn't respond until the second period, but by then, it was too late; the damage was done.
Mathieu Olivier was the team's leading scorer on Tuesday night, and when that happens, it usually means the snipers aren't sniping.
It was a tough game for Elvis Merzļikins, but he has to move on quickly because the mighty Golden Knights of Vegas are coming to town on Thursday, and that game will get ugly even faster than Tuesday's game if they're not careful.
Boone Jenner on Tuesday night's loss, "We knew they're gonna come out hard. I just don't think we were playing quite to our standard there in the first. Obviously, they made us pay. More of our style in the second, and it got us back into it."
Final Stats
Player Stats
Team Stats
What's Next? The Columbus Blue Jackets return home on Thursday to play the Vegas Golden Knights.
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