THAT'S MORE LIKE IT.
Joonas Korpisalo gave up two goals on six shots in the first period, but settled down and made several incredible saves down the stretch to lead the Blue Jackets to a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The Blue Jackets snapped a three-game losing streak with the big win and got revenge on the Devils after New Jersey took down Columbus on Thursday night.
In what was a back-and-forth affair, the Blue Jackets took the lead in the first period with a power-play goal thanks to Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored his tenth of the season. Jakub Voracek provided the primary assist in his 1001st NHL game. The Blue Jackets honored Voracek tonight with a tribute video, due to his 1000th occurring in New Jersey.
Hockey great Jaromir Jagr appears in a video tribute for Blue Jacket Jakub Voracek for reaching his 1,000 NHL game.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 9, 2022
I have some good news, Jagr said. You've played 1,000 games. Now the bad news: if you want to catch me, you have to play 700 more.#CBJ
Then, captain Boone Jenner doubled their advantage, banking one in off of Devils netminder Mackenzie Blackwood. It was Jenner's team-leading 13th of the season. With 13 goals in 33 games, Jenner is scoring at the highest rate of his career at 0.39 goals per game. In the 2015-16 season, when he scored 30 goals, he averaged 0.37 goals per game.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| DEVILS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
Before the period was over, the Devils tied it back up. Goals from Nico Hischier and Jimmy Vesey meant that the teams would head to their respective locker rooms tied after 20 minutes.
The Blue Jackets went ahead once again in the second period. This time, it was rookie Yegor Chinakhov, who finished a rebound on his backhand for his second NHL goal. Hard work from Sean Kuraly made it possible. They couldn't hold the lead, though. Marian Studenic scored his first goal of the season after Joonas Korpisalo couldn't swallow up a rebound, tying things up at 3-3 heading into the final frame.
Then, the Voracek-Bjorkstrand connection happened again. After receiving a beautiful pass, Bjorkstrand unleashed a one-timer that beat Blackwood and gave the Blue Jackets the advantage. The Devils made a push towards the end, but Korpisalo stood tall and the Blue Jackets made some key blocks.
When the final horn sounded, the Blue Jackets were on top, 4-3.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets (16-16-1, 33 points) will host the Chicago Blackhawks (11-18-5, 27 points) on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.
