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.