Jesper Bratt tallied a goal and two assists, while Luke Hughes added a goal and an assist, as the New Jersey Devils secured a 5-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night.
Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Paul Cotter also found the back of the net, with Cody Glass contributing two assists, as the Devils notched back-to-back wins after a rough stretch of four losses in five games. Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves in the victory.
Mathieu Olivier led the Blue Jackets with two goals, and Kirill Marchenko added another, but Columbus has now lost three of its last four games. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins finished with 22 saves.
New Jersey jumped out early with three first-period goals from Hischier, Cotter, and Bratt, before Olivier and Marchenko cut the deficit to one with goals four minutes apart in the second.
However, Meier extended the Devils’ lead late in the second period, and Hughes restored the three-goal cushion just 26 seconds into the third. Olivier struck again midway through the final frame, but Columbus couldn’t mount a full comeback.
Takeaways
Blue Jackets: Despite the loss, Columbus still holds onto the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, though five teams remain within five points of catching them.
Devils: New Jersey kept its three-point lead over Ottawa for third place in the East, strengthening its playoff positioning.
Key Moment
With the Devils’ lead down to 3-2 in the second period, Meier disrupted a pass by Dante Fabbro to trigger a breakaway. He skated up the right side and fired a shot past Merzlikins, restoring New Jersey’s two-goal cushion with 3:11 left in the period.
Key Stat
Hischier now has three goals in his last six games, bringing his season total to 27, which matches last year’s total and puts him just four shy of his career-high 31 goals from 2022-23.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets return home to face Vegas on Thursday, while the Devils host Edmonton the same night.
