Game Preview: Blue Jackets, Devils Meet Saturday On The Heels Of Columbus' Wild Win In Toronto

NEW JERSEY DEVILS
15-11-1 (31 pts; .574%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
7:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ Power Play
ODDS & LINE:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 42%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +180

Thursday was one of the more bizarre games in the history of the Columbus Blue Jackets, when a 5-0 lead entering the final period turned into an overtime that would surely see them complete a historic implosion.

Instead, Kent Johnson saved the Blue Jackets with his second goal of the game in the final two minutes of overtime, giving Columbus a 6-5 overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Blue Jackets became the first team to blow a five-goal, third-period lead and still win the game. 

How does a club follow such a beautiful-yet-dreadful performance? The Columbus faithful will find out together Saturday night when the New Jersey Devils come to Nationwide Arena for a 7:00 p.m. first whistle.

Here's what to know when the Blue Jackets and Devils meet in the epicenter of the Arena District:

TALKING POINTS: NJD

• After a sluggish 8-9-1 start to the season, the Devils are starting to remember who they are: a Stanley Cup contender. Since their 2-1 loss to the Blue Jackets on November 25th, New Jersey is 7-2-0. Most recently, they defeated the Boston Bruins in overtime — the Devils only game of the work week, so they come into Columbus rested.
   
• New Jersey is scoreless on their last 11 power play attempts, and yet, their 31.8% conversion rate on the man-advantage leads the league. Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes have 16 and 15 points, respectively, when on the power play this season. By comparison, Johnny Gaudreau leads Columbus with six power play points.
   
• While Hughes and Bratt have been terrific, Timo Meier is close to finding himself on a milk carton. He signed an eight-year, $70 million dollar extension over the summer, following a 2022-23 season that saw him score 31 goals and total 52 points with the Devils and San Jose Sharks. This season, he has five goals, six assists for 11 points in 20 games. He missed two weeks with an injury in the second half of November, but since his December 1st return, the numbers are rough: six games, no goals, no assists, no points, and a -3 plus/minus in just over 100 minutes of ice time. 

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• Someone tweeted after Thursday's game that the problem with the Blue Jackets is that when it comes to head coach Pascal Vincent, the team "didn't pay for Pascal+" and that they are "only paying for two periods of coaching" — and that explanation makes more sense than whatever Columbus' third-period performance was. Leads don't matter to when the Blue Jackets are involved, and while a little bit of that could be placed on mistakes on the ice, the bulk of it has to fall on coaching. Vincent talks about how players need to be held accountable and learn and he's right, but the same is true of coaching. 
   
• Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the wildness of that game is that Kent Johnson will should never be in Cleveland again. He has six points in his last four games, including the pair of goals that allowed Columbus to pick up the victory Thursday. Let's see if he's rewarded with more playing time Saturday, as Johnson is still yet to crack 15 minutes of ice time in any of his 15 games this season. 
   
• Patrik Laine will be out six weeks with a fractured clavicle, and if Friday's practice was any indication, that will mean that Matheiu Olivier draws into the lineup Saturday. He'll likely play alongside Alexandre Texier and Sean Kuraly, while Emil Bemstrom bumps into Laine's place and plays with Johnson and Cole Sillinger. Laine's absence will be another chance for Bemstrom to show that he's capable of being an every-day player at the NHL level, and should also mean more time for Johnson, as referenced above.

Updated: 7:05 a.m. // Subject to Change
Lines based on most recent practice/game, injury updates, and club news.