NEW JERSEY DEVILS (34-25-6) vs. COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (31-24-8)

New Jersey hosts Columbus in a pivotal contest to determine the Stanley Cup playoffs.

You can watch on MSGSN or listen on the Devils Hockey Network.

Read below for your game preview and pre-game story below. Tonight's game is presented by Coast Linen Services.

MORNING SKATE RECAP

NEWARK, NJ - The Devils held a morning skate at Prudential Center ahead of hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets, a pivotal contest in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoff hunt.

The Devils used the following workflow…
Palat – Mercer – Tatar
Meier – Hischier – Noesen
Haula – Glass – Bratt
Cotter – Lazar – Bastian

Hughes – Pesce
Dumoulin – Kovacevic
Dillon – Cholowski

Markstrom working the starter’s end.

Lineup Shifts

The only change to the lineup from Sunday’s 3-1 win in Philadelphia appears to be the insertion of Paul Cotter in place of Daniel Sprong.

It appears that forwards Sprong, Justin Dowling and Kurtis MacDermid and defenseman Simon Nemec will be scratched.

The trio of Erik Haula, Cody Glass and Sprong had a good showing against Philadelphia. And Keefe wanted to see Jesper Bratt in that fold.

“I thought Bratt would be a good fit there to keep that line’s momentum going. I really like (Tomas) Tatar with (Dawson) Mercer and (Ondrej) Palat when we were using that. The pieces just fall into place the more you move them around.”

Playoff Chase

The Devils and Blue Jackets are neck-and-neck in the playoff hunt. Currently the Devils sit in the third spot in the Metro Division with 74 points in 65 games. The Jackets hold the final Wild Card position with 70 points in 63 games.

Though New Jersey has a four-point lead on Columbus, the Blue Jackets have played two less games. That means tonight’s game will either draw both teams closer to together or serve as a chance for the Devils to gain a little breathing room and separation.

“We have Columbus today and play them again in a couple days,” forward Jesper Bratt said. “It’s a team that’s been chasing us for a little bit now. It’s up to us to start gaining some ground here and building some wins.”

The New York Rangers are on the outside of a playoff spot with 68 points (six behind New Jersey) in 64 games played. And Montreal, Detroit and Boston all have 66 points. Meaning the Devils have very little cushion as they try to clinch a playoff berth.

“It’s a big game. We understand the situation, the standings the time of year,” defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “We’re having to play playoff hockey right now. We’re in a fight. We’re going to be in a fight for the rest of the year basically to try and get in.”

Scouting the Jackets

Keefe on the Jackets: “This Columbus team is very opportunistic. They have five 20-goal scorers. They have many people that can hurt you on different lines. Their defense is involved. (Zach) Werenski is having a terrific season, and the game is a lot different when he’s on the ice for them, which is half the game. There’s lots of challenges there.”

THE SCOOP

The Devils and Blue Jackets meet in a pivotal game with Stanley Cup playoff implications. Both teams are currently in a playoff position, but Columbus is hot on New Jersey’s tail. The Devils (74 points, 65 games) hold the final Metro divisional spot in the playoff chase with a four-point edge on Columbus (70 points, 63 games), who currently sits in a Wild Card position. The Blue Jackets have two games in hand on the Devils and are within striking distance of catching New Jersey. The two clubs will play each other twice in a seven-game span (home and home), with the results having a huge impact on where they will finish at the end of the season as it relates to each other.

The Devils will play the remainder of the year without superstar Jack Hughes, who underwent shoulder surgery last week. They’re also currently playing without No. 1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton (week to week) and shutdown defender Jonas Siegenthaler. New Jersey has a 10-12-3 record since Jan. 1 and haven’t found the same level of play or consistency as before (24-13-3).

The Devils picked up a win at Philadelphia on Sunday thanks to some of their recent deadline acquisitions in Cody Glass and Daniel Sprong. The duo, working in tandem on a line, combined for one goal, a plus-3, four shots and four hits, paying immediate dividends for the team.

Meanwhile, since Jan. 4, the Blue Jackets have a 15-7-2 record that has lifted them from fourth in the Wild Card chase and below .500 (16-17-6) into a Wild Card position and a chance to leap the Devils. Columbus finishes a four-game road trip in New Jersey (1-2-0 so far).

Stud blueliner Zach Werenski leads the team in assists (48) and points (68). Only Colorado’s Cale Makar (24) has more goals in the NHL this season for a defenseman than Werenski’s 20. The Jackets have five 20-goal scorers in their lineup with Kirill Marchenko (24), Adam Fantilli (21), Werenski (20), Dmitri Voronkov(20) and Kent Johnson (20).

One are of their game that is lacking is special teams where the power play (19^th, 20.7%) and the penalty kill (26^th, 74.4%) are both among the worst performers in the NHL.

WHO’S HOT

Devils: Cody Glass scored a goal on his first shot with new club in Sunday’s 3-1 win at Philadelphia. Glass has two goals in his past three games.

Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli, the third-overall pick in 2023, posted a hat trick in a 7-3 win at the NY Rangers on Sunday night. He has points in seven of his last eight games for 10 points (6g-4a).

INJURIES

Devils: J.Hughes (shoulder, LTIR), Siegenthaler (undisclosed, LTIR), Hamilton (undisclosed, week-to-week)

Blue Jackets: Gudbranson (shoulder, IR), Monahan (upper-body, IR), Lebanc (shoulder, IR), Sillinger (upper-body, IR)

REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS

• Dec. 19 at Columbus, 4-2 L
• March 11 vs. Columbus
• March 17 at Columbus

GAME NOTES

• The Devils and Blue Jackets meet for the second time this season and only time in New Jersey.

• The Jackets won the only previous meeting this year, 4-2 on Dec. 19, in Columbus. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins was the hero, making 40 saves while Sean Monahan scored two goals.

• The Devils are 21-5-3 when scoring first this season, and 28-0-2 when leading after two periods.
• Cody Glass became the 55th player in Devils team history (since 1982-83) to score in their debut.
• Luke Hughes has three assists in the last three games.
• Erik Haula picked up a goal and assist at Philadelphia Sunday. It was his first goal since Nov. 25 (Nashville) and first assist since Nov. 23 (at Washington). That snapped a 28-game pointless drought.

• The Blue Jackets have the 7^th-best offense (3.27 goals per game) and 7^th-best defense (3.29 goals against per game).