Fabian Zetterland scored late in the first period, Nico Hischier and defenseman Ryan Graves added goals 33 seconds apart early in the second, and Vitek Vanecek made 20 saves as the surging New Jersey Devils routed the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1 on Sunday.
Defensemen John Marino, Jonas Siegenthaler, Jesper Bratt, and Miles Wood also scored for New Jersey. Vanecek secured his third consecutive win.
The Devils overwhelmed the Blue Jackets with 53 shots, winning their sixth game in seven outings after starting the season with two losses. Columbus suffered its third straight defeat.
“This win shows character,” said Hischier, the Devils’ 23-year-old captain. ”We beat a great team (Colorado Avalanche on Friday) and then put it behind us. … We came out to play today. It was an all-around fun game; every line played well.”
Zetterlund opened the scoring with about seven minutes left in the first period, firing a rocket past Columbus goalie Elvis Merzlikins for his first goal of the season, assisted by Hischier.
The Devils dominated the first period, outshooting Columbus 20-5. Hischier made it 2-0 at 3:22 of the second with an unassisted goal, bringing his season total to four goals and five assists in eight games.
Defenseman Ryan Graves netted his first goal of the season at 3:55, with assists from Jack Hughes and Bratt, extending Bratt’s season-opening points streak to nine games. Hughes, who scored the lone goal in Friday’s 1-0 win over the Avalanche, now has three goals and five assists.
“We’re locked into really playing our game and just playing it shift after shift, and that’s the team game,” Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ”You get in on the forecheck, and you trust your forecheck and back your D up when they’re involved.”
Forward Yegor Chinakhov scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets at 6:39 of the second period, his second of the season.
Marino put the Devils ahead 4-1 with an unassisted goal, his first of the season and first with New Jersey, with about 20 seconds left in the second period. Siegenthaler made it 5-1 in the third period, Bratt increased the lead to 6-1, and Wood completed the scoring.
“We have to be better,” Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner said. ”Our battle level has to be better.”
Columbus is 3-7-0 to start the season, sitting last in the Metropolitan Division.
“This one is on me,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. ”We’ve got to get back to the root of this team. This one is solely on me. I have to get them better prepared.”
The crowd at Prudential Center booed Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau, a New Jersey native who spurned the Devils as a free agent last summer, every time he touched the puck.
HONORING A LEGEND
Before the game, the Devils honored former defenseman Ken Daneyko, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and longtime broadcaster, for his four decades with the franchise. Daneyko dropped the ceremonial puck.
NOTES
The Devils haven’t allowed more than 25 shots in a game this season.
UP NEXT
- Devils: Visit Vancouver on Tuesday to start a three-game trip through western Canada.
- Blue Jackets: Head to Finland to play the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 4 in the first of two games as part of the NHL Global Series.
