The Columbus Blue Jackets faced an uphill battle Tuesday night at the Prudential Center, falling 5-3 to the New Jersey Devils in their lone meeting this season in Newark. Overwhelmed by New Jersey’s relentless speed and aggressive checking early on, the Blue Jackets found themselves down 3-0 by the end of the first period. Despite a push in the second and third periods, including a standout two-goal performance from Mathieu Olivier, the Blue Jackets couldn’t find their way back against a Devils team firing on all cylinders.
With the victory, the Devils improved to 35-25-6, while the Blue Jackets dropped to 31-25-8, now six points behind New Jersey for the third Metropolitan Division spot, still with two games in hand.
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Jesper Bratt led the way for New Jersey with a goal late in the first period and two assists, including on the Nico Hischier and Luke Hughes tallies. The Devils dictated the pace with their high-octane breakout game, leaving Columbus struggling to adjust. Goaltender Jacob Markstrom faced a low shot total, stopping 17 of 20 shots en route to his 22nd win of the season.
Devils Set the Tempo Early
The Blue Jackets struggled to match New Jersey’s intensity from the opening faceoff. The Devils, well aware of the game’s significance for the Metropolitan Division standings, came out flying. Their smothering defense, especially at the defensive blue line, and lightning-quick transitions overwhelmed Columbus, generating multiple odd-man rushes that left goalie Elvis Merzlikins hung out to dry. The defensive breakdowns piled up, and Columbus paid the price on the scoreboard as the Devils just kept getting easy breakouts, leading to way too many odd-man rushes.
To put it simply, Columbus just did not have any space in the first twenty, largely due to the Devils’ urgency and quickness to pucks. This left the Blue Jackets only able to dump the puck in and change, firing a total of six shots on Jacob Markstrom in the first.
“Three out of four games on this road swing, we’ve been down early—it makes it so much harder, especially against good teams,” he explained. “We need to tighten up early. We want to be aggressive and get in on the forecheck, but we have to keep it out of our net first. You can’t let the game get away from you,” said head coach Dean Evason.
A Comeback That Wasn’t Enough
The Blue Jackets showed signs of life in the second period, led by Kirill Marchenko and Mathieu Olivier. Marchenko delivered one of the game’s highlights, dekeing Markstrom with a forehand-to-backhand move after receiving a slick setup from the top-line center Adam Fantilli. Moments later, Olivier brought the Blue Jackets closer with his first goal of the night, tipping a long shot from defenseman Denton Mateychuk past Markstrom.
The goal capped off an impressive night for Olivier, who led the team with an adjusted game score of 2.68, according to hockeystatcards.com. The power forward has thrived on the second line alongside Kent Johnson and captain Boone Jenner over the past few games, using net-front presence to complement his linemates’ skill.
“Our line has been going pretty good,” center Boone Jenner said. “We want to play to our strengths, get it down there and kind of grind them below the goal line, protect pucks and bring it to the goal line that way.”
However, the Devils weathered the storm and eventually took control once more, using their quick breakout game to tilt the ice back in their favor. Late in the second, Timo Meier delivered a crucial blow, sniping a shot past Merzlikins off a perfectly executed rush to restore the Devils’ two-goal cushion at 4-2 going into the intermission. Meier’s goal served as a backbreaker for the Blue Jackets’ momentum heading into the third, one they ended up not recovering from.
“That critical goal at the end of the second, and then the one to start the third, were very costly. The timing couldn’t have been worse. We fight to get one back, and then they score again—it was just tough all night,” said Columbus head coach Dean Evason.
Special Teams Struggles Continue
Columbus’s special teams continued their recent struggle, especially on the power play, which went 0-for-3 on the night. The Blue Jackets’ powerless power play couldn’t gain clean zone entries against New Jersey’s fourth-ranked penalty kill, failing to hold the zone when they did establish possession.
Adding to their woes, Columbus took too many penalties again, putting themselves at a disadvantage against the Devils’ fourth-ranked 27.8% power play. The frequent trips to the penalty box disrupted any momentum they tried to build, especially late in the third period. While the Blue Jackets’ penalty kill, ranked 24th in the NHL, managed to go 4-for-5, the special teams disparity was apparent. The lack of traction on the power play and the undisciplined penalties proved costly, and was another example of how inconsistent special teams continue to hold the Blue Jackets back lately, especially in tight games.
Blue Jackets Control Their Own Destiny
Despite the loss, not all the news was bad for Columbus on Tuesday night. Out-of-town results delivered a small silver lining as the New York Rangers, another team chasing a wild card spot, fell 2-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. This keeps the Rangers two points behind Columbus, who hold the second wild card spot—but only barely. However, with Ottawa’s win Tuesday, the Senators jumped into the first wild card position, now three points ahead of the Blue Jackets.
Sunday’s emphatic 7-3 victory over the Rangers now looms even larger, giving Columbus just enough breathing room to remain in the playoff picture. But with little room for error, the Blue Jackets need to keep their foot on the gas. Their sights aren’t just on defending a wild card spot, either—they’re still eyeing a move up the Metropolitan Division standings, with another matchup against New Jersey looming next Monday at home.
Related: 4 Takeaways From the Blue Jackets’ Dominant Win Over the Rangers
Before that rematch, the Blue Jackets return to the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena on Thursday, where they’ll open a huge four-game homestand against the Vegas Golden Knights. It’s a much-needed reset after a grueling stretch of road games, going 1-3-0 over the four-game trip. However, Nationwide Arena has been a fortress for Columbus this season, with the team boasting an impressive 20-6-4 home record. With 11 of their final 18 games set to take place on home ice, this is the perfect opportunity to regain some momentum.
The Knights, coming off a 3-2 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, won’t make it easy. But for the Blue Jackets, this homestand represents a turning point in the season, one that will make or break their playoff push.
