The New Jersey Devils traveled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets for the final time in the 2023-24 season. New Jersey was victorious in two out of three previous meetings. The Devils entered the game after a heartbreaking defeat against the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday (Jan. 17), and the Blue Jackets were coming off a 4-3 shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday (Jan. 15).
Vitek Vanecek made his first start since Jan. 11 when he suffered a 4-3 overtime loss in Tampa Bay. Elvis Merzlinkis made his 25th start of the season amid rumors and speculation that he could be on his way out of Columbus.
Both teams went into the game with big pieces that were injured. The Blue Jackets were without Zack Werenski, Patrik Laine, and Nick Blankenburg. However, Columbus’ captain Boone Jenner was able to return to the lineup after missing the previous 15 games. The Devils remained without Jack Hughes, Ondrej Palat, Jonas Siegenthaler, Brendan Smith, Tomas Nosek, and Dougie Hamilton.
New Jersey needs to accumulate as many points as possible during their injury struggles due to the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference wild card remaining an incredibly close race. The Devils were able to beat the Blue Jackets 4-1 in Ohio.
Devils 30th Time Trailing
One of the only consistent parts of New Jersey’s game is allowing the first goal of the game. Out of 43 games, they have allowed their opponents to score first in 30 contests. Not only does this mean the team has to claw its way back into the game, they have to earn momentum back as well. 4:21 into the first period, Cole Sillinger scored the opening goal after an impressive drop pass from Yegor Chinakhov.
For the remainder of the period, New Jersey was controlling the play and had a plethora of quality scoring chances. The team was given two power play chances in the opening period and were unable to capitalize. Fortunately, John Marino scored 28 seconds into the second period to open the floodgates. The Devils scored three more in the second period with goals from Alexander Holtz, Nico Hischier, and Nathan Bastian.
With the amount of opening goals that the Devils give up, they have been able to muster up 14 comeback wins, which is tied for second in the league. However, it is a problem that the team has faced all season that is more costly than it seems.
New Jersey’s season has been plagued with abysmal goaltending that has cost them…
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