It is another crucial game between the New Jersey Devils and the Columbus Blue Jackets. This one is in Ohio, the Blue Jackets have been on a losing streak, and yet they have the offense and need to win this one. Learn about the matchup in this game preview.
This is the most important game of the season since last Tuesday. And even that is subject to change. Such is the way of an 82-game regular season. But this one does have massive implications. And it’s a rematch.
The Time: 7:00 PM ET
The Broadcast: TV: MSGSN, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio; Audio: Devils Hockey Radio
The Matchup: The New Jersey Devils at the Columbus Blue Jackets
The Last Devils Game: On Saturday afternoon, the Devils visited the Pittsburgh Penguins on network television. The Devils did not start the game particularly well, but did score first when Jesper Bratt won a puck and set up Cody Glass in the left circle for the game’s first goal. Then the game began to fall apart for the Devils. A denied zone exit by Simon Nemec and a failed battle by Timo Meier meant the Penguins put the puck down low and Connor Dewar finished it for an equalizer. On the next shift, a bouncing puck saw Philip Tomasino counter attack with a rush and he set up Danton Heinan to finish it for a 1-2 deficit. Early in the third, Rickard Rakell beat Jacob Markstrom – who had a bad game – for a 1-3 deficit. The Devils spent close to half of a period not even getting a shot on Tristan Jarry. The game got worse when Tomasino swiped a puck from Johnathan Kovacevic and beat Markstrom early in the third for a 1-4 deficit. Then the Devils had hope. Brett Pesce was high-sticked by Noel Acciari and it drew blood. Timo Meier converted the second minor to make it 2-4. Inexplicably, Evgeni Malkin high-sticked Brett Pesce on the next shift and that too drew a double minor. Nico Hischier tipped in a Luke Hughes shot to punish it and make it a one-shot game at 3-4. But later on Pesce took a cross-checking penalty. During that penalty kill, Nathan Bastian coughed up a puck to Sidney Crosby. This led to a sequence of plays that ended with Erik Karlsson sending a rocket to the top corner for a PPGA and a 3-5 game. A pulled Markstrom yielded an ENG for Dewar and 3-6. Adding further insult, Kevin Hayes put up the extra point by beating Markstrom late for 3-7. A brutal loss on ABC to end a 3-game winning streak – and make tonight’s game matter a bit more. Ian recapped the loss here.
The Last Blue Jackets Game: On Saturday night, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted Our Hated Rivals. Last Sunday, the Blue Jackets routed them at the World’s Most Overrated Arena. On this night, OHR would have their sweet revenge. Igor Shesterkin stopped everything the Jackets threw at him. Which was not all that much as New York kept them to 21 shots on net for the whole game. An error from Daniil Tarasov set up Mika Zibanejad feeding Alexis Lafreniere for an early goal. In the second period, Artemi Panarin scored to make it 2-0 for the visitors. Vincent Trocheck put up a brace within the final six minutes of the game. The first at 5-on-5 and the second with a shorthanded empty net goal. The Blue Jackets got blanked at 4-0. It was their second straight 4-0 loss and they have lost three in a row going into this game.
The Last Devils-Blue Jackets Game: Last Tuesday, the Devils hosted the Blue Jackets in a pivotal matchup. Similar to how the standings have gone, the Devils went up early and did not need to look back even if Columbus crept into the game. The first period was excellent for the Devils. Nico Hischier one-touched a Jesper Bratt pass down low for a PPG to open the scoring. After the Devils killed a penalty by Paul Cotter, he received a breakaway chance and finished it for 2-0. With over a minute left, Jesper Bratt took a mishandle from Zach Werenski and buried it for a 3-0 lead. Columbus would put the pressure on in the second. Mathieu Olivier tipped in a Denton Mateychuk shot to make it 3-1. Kirill Marchenko took a great feed from Adam Fantilli to beat Brian Dumoulin and Marchenko finished the play to make it 3-2. But the Devils would hit back. Timo Meier scored from the wing on a rush to make it 4-2. Luke Hughes opened the third period with a goal to make it 5-2. The Devils thought they could cruise and kind of did. Mathieu Olivier would get a second goal off a blooper to make it 5-3. But there was little chance of Columbus making it closer and they did not. What’s more, the Mrs. Fields Cookie won its first race of the season, ending a 30-game slide. The Devils won 5-3 for a big swing in the standings. Ian recapped the game here.
The Goal: To get shots, manage the puck better – and the Devils need more shots. The Devils have not exactly lit up the other team with shots on net since the loss in Las Vegas. They have put up 28, 23, 23, 28, 22, and 27 in each of their last six games. Not bad necessarily but not impressive. Almost what you would expect from a team that needed to upgrade their offense by the trade deadline. While they have scored 3 goals in four of those games, it was still in efforts where the team would go for stretches of not getting a shot on net whether due to score effects or their own issues with the puck. In fact, the last time the Devils put over 30 shots on net on a team was back on February 23. The source of that has been in their puck management. Whether in making the pass, receiving the pass, handling the puck on their own, or deciding when to shoot, the Devils have left a lot of opportunities on the table by losing possession. And as Pittsburgh most recently demonstrated, a team can punish those losses in possession.
This is quite important for tonight’s opponent. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a top-ten team in total goals for (213) and are sixth in shooting percentage in all situations (11.4%). They have the offensive talent to produce and they can produce quite a lot even if they have been shutout in their last two games. Their issue is on the other end. They have a bottom-ten team save percentage (88.78%) as well as a bottom-ten shots against rate (28.04 per 60) and expected goals against rate (2.71 per 60) for the season in 5-on-5 play. The Blue Jackets are not a great defensive team. The Devils won their game against them by going up early and only letting up on the attack after going up 5-3. If they want to try to repeat that – and they should! – then the Devils, as a team, are going to have to be much better at handling and playing pucks to get the shots they need to beat the Blue Jackets.
Still a Concerning Opponent: It is true that since the Devils beat Columbus, the Blue Jackets have not scored a goal. They have taken two straight 4-0 losses at home. Which surprising in of itself as the Blue Jackets have dominated at home this season. Their home record of 20-8-4 is a top-ten record in the league. Recent games should give one confidence that a trip to Ohio is not a likely lost cause, but the People Who Matter need to respect Columbus in their house. Their bubble status is driven strongly by their poor road record, sub-median goaltending, and defensive woes.
Their offense remains something to worry about. Zach Werenski may have been stripped for a goal against by Bratt last week, but he remains the top player on this team. With 229 shots, 20 goals, and 69 points, this defenseman is very much the straw that stirs the drink for the Blue Jackets. Up front, they have five forwards with at least 15 goals: Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Adam Fantilli, Dimitri Voronkov, and Olivier. Marchenko and Olivier each scored in last week’s game and Fantilli is definitely glowing up right before our eyes. Once Sean Monahan is available to return, the Blue Jackets will be able to dress more than two lines in front of Werenski that can put plenty of points on the board. In fact, they could do it sooner as Boone Jenner continues to get into form. And this is to say nothing of the offensive skills of defensemen Ivan Provorov, Damon Severson, and Denton Mateychuk to help keep attacks going and support them from the blueline. The Blue Jackets have plenty of offensive firepower and that needs to be respected this evening regardless of their recent slide.
For this game in particular, it is noteworthy that Nico Hischier’s line got matched against Marchenko, Voronkov, and Fantilli for most of that night. While that line did get a goal, it was not against Hischier’s full unit. With this game being in Ohio, I would not expect Sheldon Keefe to get that same matchup. This will be a real test for the likes of Dawson Mercer, Cody Glass, and others in the middle six because they will likely have to defend against Columbus’ top producers. It could be a long night for the Devils if they struggle against them.
Of Course, If They Attack…: The Devils do have the advantage of knowing they can score a plenty against this Columbus team. Again, to repeat The Goal section, this Columbus team has not been strong defensively this season either in terms of preventing pucks getting to the net, limiting danger of the other team’s attempts, or actual goaltending. After Elvis Merzlikins goalied them on December 19, they put up a five-spot on him last Tuesday. He was unavailable on Saturday night but he could be available today. His overall save percentage of 89.6% and his even strength save percentage of 90.8% indicate that he is beatable. Especially in shorthanded situations. The Devils should not need to worry about Elvis provided they get actual shots on him.
If Merzlikins is unavailable, it will be either Daniil Tarasov or Jet Greaves. Tarasov has an even worse save percentage than Merzlikins this season. Both in overall situations (88.2%) and even strength ones (88.1%). If he is in the net, the Devils absolutely need to fire away at him. Should they go with Jet Greaves – called up in Merzlikins’ absence – that might bode better. His save percentages are the best on the team. Then again, he has played in exactly five (5) games and it remains to be seen whether those numbers hold up after not making an appearance for Columbus since January 11.
And, again, should the Devils manage the puck better to generate more shots, they will be able to find them against this Columbus team. Werenski is having an awesome season but the Devils made him suffer the most attempts in 5-on-5 last Tuesday (27, 13 on net) alongside Dante Fabbro (23, also 13 on net). He is not exactly a wall on Columbus’ blueline. The Devils also picked on Provorov quite a bit too. He can be forced back as well. Damon Severson avoided the wrath last week but as the People Who Matter are aware, Severson is prone to some boneheaded plays that the Devils can absolutely take advantage of.
Lastly for this point, the Devils’ power play should also be able to generate offense against this Blue Jackets team. They scored a PPG to open the scoring against them last week. Since the injuries to The Big Deal and Dougie Hamilton, the Devils’ power play has been 6-for-19, with two power play goals in their loss to Pittsburgh. No, Columbus will not be handing back-to-back four-minute penalties. But it is evidence that they can still do some damage even if Stefan Noesen’s removal from the primary power play unit remains an odd decision. The Blue Jackets’ PK since March 3 has killed 16 of their last 21 shorthanded situations and their season rates show that they are bottom-ten in both expected and actual goals allowed. It is a beatable unit and one that will likely give New Jersey some man advantage opportunities. All the more reason for the Devils to be more judicious at shooting (e.g. Stop shooting through defenders) and manage the puck better – even if it means slowing down a bit.
Shouting into the Void but Hey: Someone on the coaching staff needs to tell Luke Hughes to stop doing slingshot passes on the power play. Luke Hughes has been doing this on the secondary power play unit this season even when the primary unit rightfully dumped it. It was dumped because The Big Deal, Jesper Bratt, Nico Hischier, and even Dougie Hamilton has the puck and handling skills to make entries on their own or passing it forward. What is baffling to me is that Luke Hughes has them as well but he is dropping pucks back regardless of who is around him or who is ready for it. The coaching staff just needs to tell him to stop doing it too. It is not rocket science or something engrained in Luke Hughes’ DNA to do drop passes for little gain on power play breakouts. It is coachable. So, coaches, do something about it.
So Hot: Jesper Bratt has back-to-back-to-back three-point nights. He was one of the few Devils who is able to say he had a good game in Pittsburgh. He has been great all season and he has been involved with the team’s scoring even more since the injuries to The Big Deal and Dougie Hamilton. All the more impressive as opposing teams have to know he needs to be targeted. On Saturday, has tied the franchise record for most assists in a season, owned by Scott Stevens with 60. I say Bratt breaks it tonight.
Guesses at Changes for the Devils: The Devils held an optional practice on Sunday. This makes some sense as the Devils just played four games in seven nights and will play again tomorrow. Rest is helpful at this time of the season. It does mean there may not be any confirmation of any lineup changes until Monday morning or afternoon. As usual, I will make some guesses about what I think they should do.
Markstrom was rather bad against Pittsburgh. He conceded close to four more goals than expected from Pittsburgh’s attempts on Sunday. He was not bad against Columbus last week. Yet, with Jake Allen having some rather strong performances recently, I would prefer that he start this crucial game. Markstrom can have a get-right game against Calgary on Thursday.
Erik Haula was scratched for the Pittsburgh game. I think he comes back tonight. I would absolutely bench Nathan Bastian. He has not done much in general to help the Devils on offense. His brutal turnover in the third period cost the team dearly to turn a 3-4 game into a 3-5 game. Of all of the bottom-six players, Bastian has not received too many healthy scratches if at all. I think it is his turn. I would make that swap and send Curtis Lazar to wing for the night.
Simon Nemec had another poor game. I suspect he will be replaced by Dennis Cholowski for the night. I would not recommend it given that Columbus’ speed and this is a road game. The Blue Jackets can absolutely make the slow defenseman suffer greatly this evening. If this was a home game, sure, Cholowski can be better sheltered. But I would give Nemec one more chance. If he has another bad game, he can sit for the next two; which are both home games.
Will any of these come to fruition? Maybe. We shall see later today what changes about the Devils roster. Something will likely change coming off a loss, so there is that at least.
The Stakes: This game is worth a four-point swing in the standings. A Devils regulation win will see them go up 10 points on Columbus and deny Columbus two points of catching up. That’s the swing. While the Blue Jackets have two games in hand on New Jersey, that would not make up a 10 point gap (or 5 or more) and so a regulation win is huge for New Jersey. For Columbus, closing the gap to six points with two games in hand is a big swing for them. While they need to win those games – and not fall apart themselves – it makes third place a bit more possible. With the season end coming up in 13-15 games, time is running out for a Columbus comeback. Had the Devils won against Pittsburgh, then the gap would be larger and so the game would not be as meaningful. Alas.
Incidentally, Our Hated Rivals have stakes in this one. A Columbus win would keep the Blue Jackets on their tails but also pull the Devils down to make third place potentially up for grabs. It would make the April 5 matchup potentially more meaningful. A Devils win would make that harder, but keep the Blue Jackets back from their wild card spot. If anything, they will be cheering for anything in regulation. Montreal, Detroit, and Boston, on the other hand, will be cheering hard for the Devils to win it in 60 minutes.
One Final Note: For the Devils, you also need to start this game on time. What made the Pittsburgh effort poor was that it followed a rather up tempo and up beat one against Edmonton that only had one real dead spot (the first five minutes of the third). A very sleepy start plus wasting half of the second period really hurt that game’s cause even if they made it a one-shot game. The Devils are an older team thanks to Soft Tom so if this is a maturity thing, then that speaks really poorly to the roster construction. Keefe and his staff have to get them prepared better for this one. Last Tuesday and even Thursday showed that it is possible. That has to be the norm more often.
Your Take: The Devils will have another big game within their division tonight. The Columbus Blue Jackets may be coming in cold but they have it all to play for tonight. I expect a tough matchup. What do you expect? Will the Devils be able to get out in front and not lose the lead? Will the effort be better tonight? Can the Devils generate more offense more often? Who will win this game? Please leave your answers and other thoughts about this game in the comments. Thank you for reading.