| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
 |
3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
|
CBJ GOALS: |
||||
The New Jersey Devils scored three times in the first period to put the Columbus Blue Jackets in a hole they could not dig out from Tuesday night in a 5-3 loss.
The defeat sends the Blue Jackets back to Columbus with a 1-3-0 road trip.
"We knew they were going to come out quick and they did," said Denton Mateychuk. "We didn't stop battling but it's tough when you give up those opportunities early in the game."
The Blue Jackets did make a game of it, though. Mathieu Olivier and Kirill Marchenko scored less than four minutes apart early in the second period to cut New Jersey's lead to 3-2 before the Devils would regain momentum with a late-period goal to go up 4-2 through forty minutes.
Less than 30 seconds into the third period, the Devils would restore their three-goal lead. Olivier's second goal of the night at the 10:29 mark of the third trimmed it to a 5-3 game, but the Blue Jackets would commit three penalties in the final 8:05 of the game to wipe away any chance they had of a comeback.
Here's how the Blue Jackets ended their road trip:
1st Period:
(6:37 — NJ Goal): The Devils connect on their first power play attempt to take a 1-0 lead. Nico Hischier takes a pass from Jesper Bratt and while Merzlikins initially makes a pad save, the puck deflects up and bounces off his shoulder and into the net.
(10:49 — NJ Goal): Ivan Provorov's shot is blocked, which springs the Devils on a break at the end of a Columbus power play. Paul Cotter races towards Merzlikins and beats him five-hole to give the Devils a 2-0 lead.
(18:51 — NJ Goal): New Jersey makes it a 3-0 first period lead with a goal from Jesper Bratt. He's in the low slot and takes a backhand flip from Cody Glass, sweeping it past Merzlikins.
2nd Period:
(3:30 — CBJ Goal): Denton Mateychuk's initial shot is blocked, but he gets it back after a nice poke from Kent Johnson and fires again. This time, his shot is perfectly disrupted by Mathieu Olivier in the low slot and beats Jacob Markstrom to get the Blue Jackets on the board and cut the Devils lead to 3-1. The assist from Mateychuk is the third of his career.
Olivier's 14th and it's a 3-1 game. Mateychuk (3) and KJ (24) with the assists! pic.twitter.com/vHRJ4RYv05 #CBJ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 12, 2025
(7:16 — CBJ Goal): The Blue Jackets get to within one on Marchenko's 25th goal of the season, compliments of a fantastic pass from Adam Fantilli. The sequence starts with Werenski clearing the puck to Fantilli, who is near center ice. As he enters the zone, he sees that Marchenko has slipped behind the Devils defense. Fantilli gets off a perfectly-placed and perfectly-timed backhand pass that Marchenko is able to get past Markstrom to cut New Jersey's lead to 3-2.
oh baby check out this one - Marchenko (25) from Fantilli (21) and Werenski (49) #CBJ pic.twitter.com/cHL1KlwHMl
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 12, 2025
(16:49 — NJ Goal): Timo Meier extends New Jersey's lead to 4-2 with a shot from the right dot that beats Merzlikins stick-side. The Devils make a quick transition from their own zone and catch Columbus in a 2-on-2, with Meier firing one off the post and in to get momentum back their way.
3rd Period:
(0:26 — NJ Goal): Another early-period goal, something of a theme for Columbus as of late. This time it takes Luke Hughes just 26 seconds to give the Devils a three-goal advantage. His shot goes through Olivier's legs and past Merzlikins to make it 5-2 New Jersey.
(10:29 — CBJ Goal): The Blue Jackets get as close as 5-3 with Olivier's second goal of the night. Markstrom has a little bit of trouble playing the puck behind his net after a hard dump in from Mateychuk. His clearing attempt is disrupted by Jenner in the corner, who flips it back behind the net to Olivier as Markstrom makes his way back in net. Olivier does a quick spin move and throws it on net, slipping it in for Olivier's third goal in two games.
Olivier's career-high was five goals. He's now at 15. Jenner gets his ninth assist. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/wVgfwuQdZQ
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) March 12, 2025
| CBJ | GAME STATS | NJ |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | SHOTS | 28 |
| 54% | FACEOFFS | 46% |
| 0/3 | POWER PLAY | 1/5 |
| 4/5 | PENALTY KILL | 3/3 |
| 27 | HITS | 16 |
| 10 | GIVEAWAYS | 11 |
| 2 | TAKEAWAYS | 2 |
| 14 | BLOCKED SHOTS | 13 |
| ALL SITUATIONS ADVANCED STATS | ||
| 1.76 | EXPECTED GOALS | 2.41 |
| 51 | SHOT ATTEMPTS | 49 |
| 18 | SCORING CHANCES | 28 |
| 8 | HIGH-DANGER CHANCES | 12 |
| Data via NHL.com & NaturalStatTrick.com | ||
Stat Chat:
-
Down two or three goals for the entire period, the Blue Jackets could only muster six shots on goal in the final twenty minutes, in part because of three two-minute minors over the last nine minutes.
-
Fantilli's assist gives him points in eight of his last nine games (six goals, five assists) and Zach Werenski's assist puts him just one shy of 50 on the season.
- With their 0-for-3 performance on the power play, the Blue Jackets are now at ten straight power plays without a goal over the last four games.
Up Next:
Home sweet home. The Blue Jackets have 11 of their last 18 at Nationwide Arena, and it starts Thursday night with a contest against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights. Puck-drop is set for 7 p.m.
