PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Devils on Opening Night

The Blue Jackets did a lot of things right – and a few things wrong – on the way to their first victory of the season Saturday in Minnesota.

There was certainly a lot to like about the team’s offensive abilities, as the Blue Jackets filled up the net on the way to the 7-4 victory. There were notable individual efforts across the ice, from the hat trick for Kirill Marchenko to three-point nights for Boone Jenner and Zach Werenski to Elvis Merzlikins’ 48-save performance, and Columbus did enough to overcome a penalty-filled night to down the Wild.

But the most encouraging sign had to be the way the Blue Jackets rolled with the punches. The temperature rose multiple times throughout the game, including in the second period when Minnesota erased the Jackets’ 2-0 lead with a pair of power-play goals in a 2:06 span, but Columbus was able to settle things down each time the Wild tried to get under their skin or looked poised to rally.

“There were obviously a lot of momentum swings,” Jenner said. “I think we kept our composure pretty good when a lot of things were happening that weren’t real good for us. The way we regrouped from that ... I just really liked our response.”

It's a trait that will come in handy throughout the season, both in games and as the ups and downs of an 82-game season come to pass. Head coach Dean Evason said that was a hallmark of his team throughout the season a year ago, and it was good to see that continued resilience have such an important impact on Saturday’s win.

“It’s better than it was last year, for sure,” Evason said. “I probably didn’t hold my composure real well; they did, and that’s exciting. We talked about the team being their team; it’s their team. Regardless of what we do or whatever happens on the other side or the refs or the other team, they don’t care. They just go about their business. That’s exciting for us, obviously, as a team.”

Columbus now returns for its home opener tonight against New Jersey with a 1-1-0 record. There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance, plus a large and loud crowd in Nationwide Arena, with the 5th Line ready to see the Blue Jackets up close for the first time this year.

Coming off a season in which the Blue Jackets tied a franchise record for points at home, CBJ players hope to keep up the good start and deliver a victory.

“I like the way we played for both games,” Werenski said. “I thought we could have gotten rewarded a little better in Nashville. We didn’t, but we stuck with it here tonight and got two points. Now we’re headed home for a few. I definitely think it’s a good start for our group.”

Scratches: Yegor Chinakhov, Erik Gudbranson (upper body injury)

Injured reserve/Non-Roster: None

Roster Report: Greaves will start in net after the two CBJ netminders split the pair of opening games, while Christiansen will go in for Gudbranson after the latter suffered an injury in the third period in Minnesota.

This Day in CBJ History

Oct. 13, 2003: Featuring black shoulder piping and a new logo that included the Ohio flag wrapping around a star, the Blue Jackets’ first-ever third jersey is unveiled during a ceremony outside of Nationwide Arena. Later that night, the Blue Jackets defeat Vancouver by a 3-2 score in their first game wearing the uniform.

Oct. 13, 2016: Zach Werenski plays his first game for the Blue Jackets at age 19, becoming the then-12th youngest player to make an NHL debut in a Jackets uniform. Werenski notches an assist less than three minutes into the game vs. Boston at Nationwide Arena.

The Numbers Game

Boone Jenner scored his 200th NHL goal Saturday, becoming the third Blue Jacket to reach the mark with the franchise following Rick Nash (289) and Cam Atkinson (213). ... Columbus set a franchise record with 267 goals (3.26 per game) last year and led the NHL with a team-record 161 goals at home (3.93 per game). ... The Blue Jackets have now scored at least seven goals in four of the last 14 games going back to last season. ... Marchenko’s hat trick vs. Minnesota was the fourth of his career, placing him third in CBJ franchise history behind just Atkinson (six) and Nash (five). ... The Blue Jackets have outscored opponents 6-1 at 5-on-5 thus far. ... Adam Fantilli’s third-period goal Saturday was the 5,000th scored by the Blue Jackets in regular-season play. ... Merzlikins’ 48 saves Saturday were the second most of his NHL career and tied for third-most in a regular-season game by a CBJ goalie. ... Charlie Coyle is three assists shy of 300 in his NHL career, while Monahan is five points from 600 in his career. Defenseman Ivan Provorov is set to play in the 699th game of his NHL career.

Know The Foe: New Jersey Devils

Head coach: Sheldon Keefe (Second season)

Team stats (2024-25): Goals per game: 2.93 (T-20th) | Scoring defense: 2.68 (5th) | PP: 28.2 percent (3rd) | PK: 82.7 percent (2nd)

The narrative: New Jersey made the playoffs just once from 2013-22, then was the surprise squad of the 2023 season, setting a franchise record with 112 points. The Devils then missed the playoffs in 2024 but placed third in the Metro and returned to the postseason a year ago, where an injury to star forward Jack Hughes helped lead to their first-round demise. If healthy, this is a team talented enough to compete with the upper echelon of the NHL, but injuries have been a key part of the team’s story the past two seasons.

Scoring leaders: Hughes has missed 20 games each of the past two seasons but remains one of the game’s top players when healthy, posting a 27-43-70 line in 62 games a year ago. Jesper Bratt had his second straight season of topping a point per game a year ago, scoring 21 goals among his 88 points, and has two tallies so far this season. Nico Hischier led New Jersey a year ago with 35 goals to go with 69 points, while Timo Meier added 26 goals and Stefan Noesen 22. Luke Hughes was the team’s highest-scoring defenseman a year ago with 44 points, and the 22-year-old has four assists in the first two games.

In net: The arrival of Jacob Markström helped solidify things in the New Jersey net a year ago, as he went 26-16-6 in 49 starts with a 2.50 GAA and .900 save percentage. Jake Allen signed a five-year deal with New Jersey to stick around after posting a 2.66 GAA and .906 save percentage in 31 games.

What's new: The Devils have been banged up to start the year, with Noesen (groin), defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic (knee) and new addition Evgenii Dadonov (hand) all out at the moment. New Jersey opened the season with a 6-3 loss at Carolina before posting a 5-3 victory at Tampa Bay on Saturday to even the record at 1-1-0. The team’s big new addition, Russian forward Arseny Gritsyuk, has a pair of assists thus far and is an interesting player to watch after he produced at nearly a point-per-game rate last year in the KHL.

Trending: Columbus was 1-2-0 a season ago against the Devils, posting a 4-2 win over the club Dec. 19 before dropping a pair of contests to close the series in March. New Jersey has had the upper hand in recent years, as the Blue Jackets are 2-7-1 over the past three seasons after going 24-7-1 over the first eight years of Metropolitan Division play.

Former CBJ: None