Devils Look for Important Win in Columbus

Devils vs. Blue Jackets. (Image via. Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images)

Tonight, the New Jersey Devils look to snap their two-game losing streak against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The team is coming off losses in Boston and at home against Montreal. The Blue Jackets are coming off a shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks where they snapped a six-game winless streak

The Devils are 22-17-3, good enough for seventh in the Metropolitan division. The Blue Jackets hold a record of 14-21-9, which has them last in the Metro.

Lines and Pairings

Devils

Forwards

Toffoli-Hischier-Bratt

Meier-McLeod-Mercer

Haula-Lazar-Bastian

Willlman-Tierney-Holtz

Defense

Marino-Nemec

Hughes-Miller

Bahl-Foote

Goalies

Vanecek

Daws

Blue Jackets

Forwards

Gaudreau-Sillinger-Chinakhov

Fantilli-Jenner-Roslovic

Johnson-Voronkov-Marchenko

Texier-Kuraly-Danforth

Defense

Severson-Boqvist

Provorov-Peeke

Bean-Gudbranson

Goalies

Merzlikins

Martin

Keys to the Game

Winning These Games

The Devils have lost games at home to the San Jose Sharks, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets, and most recently, the Montreal Canadiens. Those are teams that are 32nd, 29th, 28th, and 24th in the NHL, respectively. These are games they must win, especially with the injuries the team has accumulated. 

Wins in those games are an extra eight points which would put the Devils at second in the metropolitan division. From seventh, to second. That is absolutely incredible, but it shows why the easy games matter.

All-Star Boone Jenner

The All-Star for the Columbus Blue Jackets is Boone Jenner! Not the most thrilling choice, but it is a great example of the flaws of the way All-Stars are chosen. The one player per team and the fan vote resulted in tons of excellent players missing out on this fun event. 

After the fan vote there are four players from the host Toronto Maple Leafs, which isn’t quite unusual. However, there are five players from the Vancouver Canucks which is a ton even for a team that is hosting. The way All-Stars are chosen snubbed players such as Devils forward Jesper Bratt who deserved to make his first all-star game this season.

Where to Watch

Tonight’s game at Nationwide Arena in Columbus can be seen on MSG at 7:00 pm ET.

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