Devils score 3 unanswered in 3rd, rally past Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- Luke Hughes scored the go-ahead goal at 4:45 of the third period, and the New Jersey Devils rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit for a 3-2 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena on Wednesday.

Hughes also had an assist, and Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk scored for the Devils (21-17-2), who had lost their past four (0-3-1), including 4-0 at the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday. Jake Allen made 33 saves.

“Things have not been going well and have not been going our way,” New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. “It's back-to-back, you know. The guys could go out and just kind of get through the third period rather than trying to make a statement. We had talked and felt strongly that if we got one, we were going to get two.”

Mason Marchment and Charlie Coyle scored for the Blue Jackets (17-16-6), who had a three-game winning streak end. Jet Greaves made 30 saves.

“Honestly, I thought we deserved better,” Columbus defenseman Dante Fabbro said. “We’ve got to get points somehow, and to have three goals going in less than five minutes is, unacceptable, and at some point we got to try and stop that kind of bleeding and then push back a little bit.

“I thought a majority of the game we controlled and played really well. But again, we need results.”

The Devils scored three goals in a 1:56 span in the third period to take the lead.

“We really needed this one as a group to come together,” Hughes said. “Obviously we haven't been scoring a lot of goals lately and for us to come together in this room and go out there and score three in the third period is huge for morale and hopefully we build into that in the new year.”

Hischier cut the deficit to 2-1 at 2:49 of the third with a power-play goal when he set up in the slot and deflected a point shot from Hughes.

Gritsyuk tied it 2-2 just 55 seconds later at 3:44, taking a pass from Timo Meier and burying a wrist shot from above the right face-off circle.

Hughes gave New Jersey a 3-2 lead at 4:45. Connor Brown won a puck battle in the right corner and fed a backhand pass to Hughes, who beat Greaves with a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle.

“Our second period wasn't very good,” Allen said. “It wasn't acceptable, but you've got to give kudos to the guys in the room. They talked before going out for the third, and this is a real serious time that we need to respond so kudos to them.”

Marchment made it 1-0 at 6:18 of the first period, lifting a rebound off a Kirill Marchenko shot past Allen from in front.

Marchment has six points (four goals, two assists) in his first five games with the Blue Jackets since being acquired in a trade from the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 19, where he had 13 points (four goals, nine assists) in 29 games.

Coyle pushed it to 2-0 at 13:41 of the second period. Cole Sillinger sent a slap shot on net that deflected off Boone Jenner to Coyle at the side of the crease. Devils defenseman Colton White pushed Jenner into Allen, and as they both fell Coyle chipped the puck over Allen into the net.

“It's a tough way to lose a hockey game. It stinks,” Coyle said. “It does seem that we took our foot off the gas a little bit. I think that's safe to say. I could be wrong, but what it seemed like and they put their foot on the gas a little bit. So, kind of it's the double whammy there.”

NOTES: The Devils earned their first multigoal comeback win since Nov. 29, 2024 (5-4 at the Detroit Red Wings). The goals were their fastest three since Feb. 6, 2023 (0:50). … Marchment surpassed Zach Werenski (four games in 2016-17) and Antoine Vermette (four games in 2008-09) for the longest point streak to begin a tenure by a Blue Jackets skater. … Columbus forward Miles Wood left with a lower-body injury at 8:25 of the first period after going into the boards awkwardly. “It doesn’t look good,” coach Dean Evason said.