In the NHL, you’re going to lose some games. It’s all about how you respond and limiting the setbacks before they spiral into losing streaks.
It’s a lesson the Blue Jackets have learned throughout the year, and they stepped up in a key situation on Sunday night. After two straight losses last week in the state of Florida by a combined 9-2 score to the Lightning and Panthers, the Blue Jackets regrouped and headed to New York City on Sunday night in search of a win.
And that’s exactly what they got. Columbus had its legs throughout the game against the Rangers and turned in an all-around effort that led to a 7-3 victory against their Metropolitan Division rivals. The two points broke a tie with the Rangers and left the Blue Jackets holding a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, and they did it by getting back to their game.
“I think we played how we play, right?” head coach Dean Evason said postgame. “We talked about it before the game about the last two hockey games, that we didn’t look like ourselves. We didn’t play like ourselves. ... We were a little tentative, we were a little apprehensive, and tonight we weren’t. We played hard. We played right.
“We played the way that the Columbus Blue Jackets play, and when we do that, we’re not going to win every single time, but we’re going to give ourselves a chance. And that’s what we did here tonight.”
With the Blue Jackets and the rest of the NHL having passed the trade deadline, it’s time for a furious sprint to the finish, and that continues tonight in New Jersey. It’s another huge game in a string of them, as the Blue Jackets enter the contest just four points behind the Devils for third place in the Metropolitan.
To leave Newark with two points, the Blue Jackets will try to copy the formula that worked so well in Madison Square Garden. At the top of the list is getting to the net, as the Blue Jackets were unable to get to the dangerous areas of the ice enough against Tampa Bay and Florida; by contrast, they created more scoring chances against the Rangers and were able to convert.
“It's no secret our two games in Florida weren't great, and that's not the way we want to play,” Adam Fantilli said after notching a hat trick. “Playing like that is not going to get us into the playoffs and the positions that we want to be in, so I think we had to get back to the way we were playing before that, and that's what we did tonight.”
Evason also pushed a number of the right buttons with the new lines he and his staff came up with post-deadline. Not only did Fantilli’s top line score three goals, the newly composed line of Boone Jenner centering Mathieu Olivier and Kent Johnson had two, while the other two trios were on the ice for a goal as well.
“I think that line is a pretty good balance of everything,” Olivier said of his new troika. “Fortunately, we chipped in with two goals tonight. We made sure we were talking, and obviously it’s a line that never was together before, but it worked out tonight.”
Know The Foe: New Jersey Devils
Head coach: Sheldon Keefe (1st season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.95 (14th) | Scoring defense: 2.52 (2nd) | PP: 28.0 percent (3rd) | PK: 82.5 percent (4th)
The narrative: The last few years have shown just how precarious the building process can be for a young team. Led by Jack Hughes, the Devils drafted an impressive number of talented players during a stretch that included just one playoff appearance from 2013-22, and it all paid off two seasons ago when New Jersey won 52 games and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Last year, though, injuries and inconsistency doomed the Devils to a seventh-place finish in the Metro. This year, a hot start is threatening to be undone again by a spate of injuries, including season-ending shoulder surgery for Hughes.
Team leaders: The injury to Hughes is a huge blow for the Devils, as one of the top young stars in the league had a team-high 27 goals among his 70 points in 62 games before going down last Sunday in a game at Vegas. One of the most underrated players in the NHL is at it again, as Jesper Bratt is tied with Hughes for the team lead in scoring with 70 points, including 17 goals and 53 assists. Nico Hischier adds 26 goals among his 49 points, while Stefan Noesen (19 goals), Timo Meier (17), Dawson Mercer (15) and Ondrej Palat (15) also could reach 20 goals.
The biggest improvement for the Devils has come in scoring defense, and a lot of the credit has to go to the new goalie tandem of Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. Markstrom has started 39 games and is 21-12-5 with a 2.34 GAA and .907 save percentage, while Allen has a 2.62 GAA and .908 save percentage despite a 10-13-1 record.
What's new: Hughes isn’t the only one out long-term, as the defensive corps took a huge hit with recent injuries to Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. New Jersey was 24-11-3 through Dec. 27 but hasn’t been able to find its game for months now, going 10-14-3 in its last 27 contests to allow the Blue Jackets to pull into their rearview mirror in the Metro race. The offense has been a key culprit, as the Devils have 11 goals in the last six games (1.83 per game) and have scored four or more goals in just five of the last 27.
Trending: Columbus won the first game of the season series Dec. 19, taking a 3-0 lead and holding on in the third to take a 4-2 victory at Nationwide Arena. New Jersey had won six of seven the previous two seasons.
Former CBJ: None
