On Dec. 1, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets for their second meeting of the season. The Devils took game one of the season series with a 3-2 victory on Oct. 13. The Blue Jackets have now tied the series with their 5-2 victory in this game.
Game Recap
Just 40 seconds into the game, Zach Werenski took a seat for hooking Timo Meier. Nico Hischier received the puck at the faceoff circle from Jesper Bratt. Hischier took the shot, and the puck bounced off Ivan Provorov’s skate and into the net just a minute and a half into the game.
A minute later, Arseni Gritsyuk stole the puck from the Blue Jackets in the Devils’ zone. He passed the puck up to Ondrej Palat, who put the puck away to give the Devils a two-goal lead.
Eight minutes into the game, the man of the hour, Brenden Dillon, took a seat for hooking Isac Lundestrom. The Blue Jackets went on the power play and capitalized on their chances. Kent Johnson sped the puck into Columbus’ zone, where he passed it to Ivan Provorov at the blue line. He passed it to Charlie Coyle at the center of the faceoff dot, who took a shot. It took a weird bounce and landed in front of Denton Mateychuk, who tipped it in to put the Blue Jackets on the board.
Shortly after, Timo Meier scored a goal. After the referee’s review, it was deemed a good goal but Columbus challenged for goaltender interference. On second review, the goal was waved off, saying there was, in fact, goaltender interference.
A minute and a half into the second period, the Blue Jackets tied the score. Cole Sillinger and Sean Monahan skated the puck up to Columbus’ zone. He passed it across ice for Monahan, who took a brilliant shot to as he got in front of the net to tie the game.
The rest of the second period was a high-spirited affair, with the Blue Jackets earning 28 penalty minutes and the Devils earning 36.
Six minutes into the third period, Columbus took their first lead of the game. Miles Wood had the puck near the net. He couldn’t find a scoring chance, so he held it and passed to Zach Werenski. He took a shot, but it was saved by Jake Allen. Coyle skated up with speed and sent the rebound into the net.
34 seconds later, Lundestrom held the puck behind the net. He passed it to Monahan in the faceoff dot. He took a shot and scored his second goal of the night.
Halfway into the third, Sillinger took a seat for slashing Luke Hughes. The Devils cashed in on the extra-man advantage, as Hischier and Bratt passed the puck back and forth to each other, looking for a scoring opportunity. Bratt passed it to Meier up at the faceoff dot, and his shot found the net, bringing the Devils within one.
Two minutes after the Devils made an attempt at catching up, Allen picked up the puck from behind his net to try and clear it. Coyle picked up the puck instead and passed it to Wood who was in front. Although Allen was back in the net, he tried to make a desperate save on Wood’s shot, but it bounced off the iron, ensuring the Blue Jackets’ 5-3 win.
Next Up
The Devils will remain at home and host the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, Dec. 3. The Blue Jackets will return home, where they will host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, Dec. 4.
The season series will continue on New Year’s Eve, when the Blue Jackets host the Devils again.
