NEWARK, NJ - The Devils’ hopes of earning a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs got a lot dimmer following a 3-0 loss to Columbus at Prudential Center Tuesday night.

Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins stopped all 23 shots against to record the shutout while forward Mathieu Olivier scored twice and Dante Fabbro chipped in another.

The game was 0-0 entering the third period until Fabbro broke the ice at the 5:24 mark. The Devils folded after giving up that goal.

"We just wilt in the third period. That's just not good enough," head coach Sheldon Keefe said. "We're not mentally tough enough clearly. These are critical moments in our season.

"Mental toughness and conditioning, physical toughness and conditioning, we're wilting in these situations and that's not a good sign."

The loss means the Devils’ odds of making the playoffs are getting pushed to the brink. Though still mathematically possible, the reality is the team has a very, very steep hill to climb now.

"The level of urgency has got to go up, we have to go on a run. It's as simple as that," forward Connor Brown said. "It'd be naive to not realize what type of position we are and how many points back of the playoffs we're in. The urgency needs to get going. Whether the season is slipping away or not, you have to look in the eye and realize we have a big game before the break. We'll have an opportunity to reset after that."

That big game, which is the team's final game before the Olympic break, will be Thursday against the New York Islanders, the team the Devils are trying to reach for the third spot in the Metro Division. The Devils are nine points behind New York. Meaning, New Jersey's season could be on the line in two days.

"We know what situation we're in but we're not looking more than a day ahead," forward Jesper Bratt said. "We know the Metro and the East has been a good division and we haven't been able to maintain a lot of wins in a row. It's obviously frustrating. We're not looking more than one game ahead. We have one really important game until the break. That has to be our focus now and then recharge."

Here are some observations from the game:

• The Devils best chance of getting back in the game came with 4:39 left in regulation but came inches short. Defenseman Dougie Hamilton ripped a shot that went off the post. Had it gone in, the Devils would have made it a 2-1 game and received a jolt of energy. Instead, they never managed to score.

• Goaltender Jacob Markstrom didn’t face a lot of shots, but he did see a few high-quality shots. And was equal to the task. He stopped Boone Jenner on a 2-on-0 shorthanded chance. His best save was a glove snag against the grain on a tip shot in the slot from Adam Fantilli. The Fantilli stopped came after Columbus took a 1-0 lead, so it was crucial to keep New Jersey in the game.

• The Blue Jackets thought they had the opening goal five minutes into the game when Danton Heinen snapped a shot into the goal from the inside right circle. However, on the play former Devil Miles Wood crashed the creased and knocked down goalie Jacob Markstrom. Since Wood entered the crease of his own power and prevented Markstrom from resetting, the goal was disallowed following a coach’s challenge.