Elvis Merzlikins made 40 saves and Boone Jenner scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season as the Blue Jackets beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Friday at the Prudential Center in Newark.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| NJ DEVILS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
1st Period
Kirill Marchenko nearly opened the scoring at 6:57 after making a nice move around Kevin Bahl, but his shot from in-tight was denied by Akira Schmid.
After Patrik Laine created an offensive-zone takeaway, he found Adam Fantilli at the doorstep, but the rookie's shot was blocked at 7:41.
Jesper Bratt had a decent chance to score with a shot from the left doorstep, but Merzlikins made the save at 9:09.
Jenner opened the scoring from the doorstep at 10:04 after receiving a great feed from Johnny Gaudreau.
#NJDevils have a breakdown in coverage as Siegenthaler (71) takes Gaudreau (13) but Hamilton (7) doesn't go with Jenner (38), who's left wide open at the doorstep to finish Gaudreau's sweet feed. #CBJ 1-0 #NJDevils https://t.co/CcXzecooLv
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 24, 2023
After Ondrej Palat picked Jake Bean's pocket in the Blue Jackets defensive zone, he found Alexander Holtz, who beat Merzlikins from the right circle to tie the game at 13:15.
A brutal giveaway by Bean (22) as he has his pocket picked by Palat (18), who finds Holtz (10) who scores from the right circle. #CBJ 1-1 #NJDevils https://t.co/ZD6XpejVFU
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 24, 2023
Eric Robinson scored his first goal of the season at 19:23 on a breakaway thanks to a fantastic feed from Justin Danforth that sent Robinson in onside at the left point.
Hamilton (7) pinches up in the offensive zone, which leaves Robinson (50) wide-open as he receives a great pass from Danforth (17) and scores on a breakaway. #CBJ 2-1 #NJDevils https://t.co/r9VTIMvcJd
— Coby Maeir (@CobyMaeir) November 24, 2023
The Blue Jackets took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission along with an 11-6 advantage in shots on goal.
2nd Period
Luke Hughes had the best chance for either team in the second period when he hit the left post with a left-point slap shot at 11:50.
Columbus led 2-1 after the second period and was ahead 19-18 in shots on goal, as well.
3rd Period
Thanks to a strong penalty kill led by Merzlikins, the Blue Jackets thwarted several grade-A chances from the Devils' power play between 3:26 and 5:26, and then Dawson Mercer had a great chance from the right doorstep that was denied by Merzlikins at 5:34.
Gaudreau had a chance to double the Columbus lead at 10:16 after Marchenko sent him on a breakaway but Schmid made the save.
Despite a valiant effort by the Devils to score with their net empty, Merzlikins stood tall and helped the Blue Jackets secure their second straight victory.
With the win, Columbus improved to 6-11-4.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 29-40 NJD
- Faceoff %: CBJ 50-50 NJD
- Power play: CBJ 0/3-0/2 NJD
- Giveaways: CBJ 5-8 NJD
- Takeaways: CBJ 6-15 NJD
- Blocked shots: CBJ 23-16 NJD
- Hits: CBJ 18-22 NJD
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5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 1.47-1.58 NJD
- Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 40-62 NJD
- Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 24-29 NJD
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 14-31 NJD
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 7-10 NJD
Injury Update
Alexandre Texier missed his second straight game due to an illness. Damon Severson will miss approximately six weeks with an oblique injury. Jack Roslovic has been on IR since Nov. 13 with a fractured ankle that will sideline him for four to six weeks.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets are back at it on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET as they take on the Hurricanes in Raleigh on Bally Sports Ohio and NHL Network.
The club will return home to face the Boston Bruins on Monday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
