Devils at Blues Jackets preview

DEVILS (17-23-7) at BLUE JACKETS (24-16-8)
7 p.m. ET; FS-O, MSG+ NHL.TV

The Blue Jackets are 13-2-4 in the past 19 games. Their 30 points are the second-most in the NHL during that span, one fewer than the Tampa Bay Lightning have in 21 games (15-5-1).
Goalie Cory Schneider starts for the Devils, his first NHL start since Nov. 8 against the Edmonton Oilers. Schneider, who was assigned to Binghamton of the American Hockey League on Nov. 19, was recalled by the Devils on Jan. 12 and played in relief Jan. 14 against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Jan. 16 against the Washington Capitals, allowing four goals on 37 shots.
He is 0-5-1 with a 4.42 goals-against average and .859 save percentage in eight NHL games this season.

Players to watch

Devils forward Wayne Simmonds has four points (one goal, three assists) in a four-game point streak.
Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist in a 3-2 win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday in his first game after missing 12 games with an ankle sprain. He has nine points (six goals, three assists) in his past 10 games.

They said it

"Any time you have a little bit of a breather you want to build some momentum and feel good about where you left your game." -- Devils forward Blake Coleman on playing their last game until Jan. 27
"They've been some of our best players. In big games, you need them to step up and make some big saves. It gives the boys on the bench a lot of confidence." -- Blue Jackets forward Cam Atkinson on goalies Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins

Devils projected lineup

Miles Wood -- Nico Hischier -- Jesper Bratt
Blake Coleman -- Travis Zajac -- Nikita Gusev
Pavel Zacha -- Jack Hughes -- Wayne Simmonds
Jesper Boqvist -- Kevin Rooney -- John Hayden
Andy Greene -- P.K. Subban
Damon Severson -- Sami Vatanen
Will Butcher -- Connor Carrick
Cory Schneider
Mackenzie Blackwood
Scratched: Mirco Mueller, Michael McLeod
Injured: Louis Domingue (lower body), Kyle Palmieri (left foot), Ben Street (upper body)

Blue Jackets projected lineup

Gustav Nyquist -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Emil Bemstrom
Nathan Gerbe -- Alex Wennberg -- Cam Atkinson
Jakob Lilja -- Boone Jenner -- Kevin Stenlund
Eric Robinson -- Riley Nash -- Nick Foligno
Zach Werenski -- Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov -- David Savard
Scott Harrington -- Markus Nutivaara
Elvis Merzlikins
Matiss Kivlenieks
Scratched: Sonny Milano, Adam Clendening
Injured: Brandon Dubinsky (wrist), Josh Anderson (shoulder), Oliver Bjorkstrand (rib, oblique), Ryan Murray (lower body), Joonas Korpisalo (knee), Alexandre Texier (back), Dean Kukan (knee)

Status report

Domingue, a goalie, sustained a "minor" injury during a 5-2 loss to the Capitals on Thursday, Devils coach Alain Nasreddine said. … Rooney returns after missing one game due to illness. … The Blue Jackets did not hold a morning skate.

Stat pack

Coleman, who leads the Devils with 19 goals, has four in the past two games and seven goals in the past seven games. … Merzlikins is 7-2-0 with a 1.68 goals-against average, .949 save percentage and two shutouts in his past nine starts. He is 3-1-1 with a 1.32 GAA and a .961 save percentage in six games at Nationwide Arena. … The Blue Jackets are 6-1-1 in their past eight home games, outscoring the opposition 25-11.