Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets at Devils

The Details

BLUE JACKETS vs. DEVILS
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 24-45-8, 8th in Metropolitan
NEW JERSEY: 49-21-8, 2nd in Metropolitan
PRUDENTIAL CENTER, 7 p.m. ET
BROADCAST INFO
TV:
Bally Sports Ohio
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Bally Sports Plus
AUDIO:
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BY THE NUMBERS
CBJ Player Statistics
Devils Player Statistics
NHL Standings
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What They're Saying

The good news is the Blue Jackets have certainly had practice recently against some of the best offenses in the league.
New Jersey comes into the game sixth in the league in goal scoring per game, making the Devils the fifth opponent out of six games that the Blue Jackets will face that is in the top 10 in the NHL in that regard.
That list includes a Toronto team Columbus faced in a 4-2 loss on Tuesday night. While the Maple Leafs put 50 shots on goal, the Blue Jackets did at least make it tough on Toronto to get to the hard scoring areas, which when combined with Jet Greaves' standout NHL debut kept Columbus in the game until the end.
"You really have to take away the middle of the ice," head coach Brad Larsen said postgame. "They do a good job of getting it by that first player into soft areas on the goal, and they lay it into the pads a lot. They'll tunnel a ton of pucks. That's what they're good at, and they have some pretty good finishers, too. So I thought the guys defended hard. They battled their tails off."
While Greaves posted a memorable 46-save performance in his debut before being sent back to Cleveland, the Blue Jackets think no matter who the goalie is, they just have to play the same style of game.
"Similar to the other night, it's a good performance, playing defensively and that hard style that we want to play," Eric Robinson said postgame. "Unfortunately we couldn't get the result because I thought we put in some good minutes."

Know The Foe: New Jersey Devils

Head coach: Lindy Ruff (Third season)
Season Stats: Goals per game: 3.45 (6th) | Scoring defense: 2.73 (7th) | PP: 21.5 percent (14th) | PK: 82.4 percent (6th)
The narrative: For a few seasons, NHL observers have been wondering when a young team that featured No. 1 overall picks Nico Hischier (2017) and Jack Hughes (2019) would make the jump, and New Jersey did it this season. The Devils got off to a hot start and haven't looked back, spending the entire season as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. A four-year playoff drought is over, but a playoff series vs. rival New York beckons. Are the Devils ready to win with Lord Stanley on the line?
2022-23 leaders: After what appeared to be a breakout campaign two years ago, injuries hurt Hughes last year, but he's come back with a vengeance this season. The 21-year-old looks like he's ticketed for stardom, placing tied for ninth in the NHL with 40 goals and sitting 13th in points with 91. Hischier follows with a 31-44-75 line, while veteran defenseman Dougie Hamilton is tied for second in the NHL among defensemen with 73 points (21 goals, 32 assists). Jesper Bratt (31-38-69) and Dawson Mercer (27-28-55) are also young standouts.
The team's goaltending also has been stabilized by a veteran acquisition in former Washington goalie Vitek Vanecek. The 27-year-old Czech is 31-11-4 with a 2.49 GAA and .909 save percentage, while Mackenzie Blackwood (10-5-2/3.10/.895) follow.
What's new:The Devils were active at the trade deadline, adding one of the top goal scorers on the season in Timo Meier from San Jose. Meier has a combined 38 goals on the campaign, including a 7-3-10 line in 17 games with the Devils. New Jersey was up and down throughout the month of March, but the squad has won three of the last four and is looking to build momentum as it goes into the playoffs.
Trending:This completes the season series, with New Jersey taking the first two games, including a 7-1 victory at The Rock on Oct. 30 and taking a 3-2 game in Nationwide Arena on Valentine's Day. The Blue Jackets had dominated the series in previous seasons, going 19-4-1 since the 2015-16 season.
Former CBJ:None

3 Keys to the Game

Handle their speed: It's easier said than done, but New Jersey is one of the league's fastest outfits. If the Jackets are going to have success, they're going to have to keep the Devils from running and gunning.
Play in fives: How do you do that? Everyone doing their job and contesting ice. The Blue Jackets have to play a team game to stay with a team like the Devils.
Finish your chances: New Jersey has been one of the stingiest teams in the league all season, so if you get a look, you have to take care of it.

3 Stats to Know

• Kirill Marchenko has 21 goals and four assists on the season, making him the only CBJ player in history to score at least 15 times in a season with less than 10 assists. Only one player in the NHL's modern era -- Florida's Brandon Pirri, with 22-2-24 in 2014-15 -- has finished a season with at least 20 goals and only four assists, per Hockey Reference.
• Johnny Gaudreau posted his 20th multipoint game of the season Sunday and has a 4-12-16 mark in the last 13 games.
• Milestone watch: Joona Luoto, Justin Richards, Jet Greaves and Jon Gillies all made their CBJ debuts in the past week, making them the Nos. 326, 327, 328 and 329 players in team history. … Marchenko passed Pierre-Luc Dubois' CBJ rookie record with his 21st goal of the season Tuesday. … Boone Jenner (170-159-329) is six points from surpassing Nick Foligno (142-192-334) for third most in Blue Jackets history. … Goalie Michael Hutchinson is two games from 150 for his NHL career.

Who's Hot

With goals in each of the past two games, Eric Robinson has a career-high 12 on the season. … Gaudreau is the fourth player in team history with at least 50 assists in a season, joining joins Artemi Panarin (twice), Ray Whitney and Jakub Voracek. … The Blue Jackets rank tied for fifth in the NHL in power-play percentage since Jan. 21, converting on 22 of 90 opportunities over the last 28 contests (24.4percent). … Jack Roslovic has tied his career high with a six-game point streak (4-4-8). … Marchenko's 21 goals are tied for second in the league among rookie goal scorers with Wyatt Johnston of Dallas, one behind Matty Beniers of Seattle. … Kent Johnson has 3-8-11 in the last 14 games, and his 16-24-40 line places him in the top 10 in team history among rookies in goals (tied for fourth), assists (fourth) and points (third). He ranks tied for fifth in the NHL in goals and is fourth in points among rookies. … Columbus is first in the NHL in goals among rookies with 51 and second to Montreal in points with 109. ... Andrew Peeke, who ranks fourth in the NHL in blocked shots in 2022-23 with 184, has surpassed Ryan Murray (171 in 2015-16) for the most blocked shots in a single season in club history (since 2005-06).

This Day in CBJ History

April 6, 2008: Jason Chimera misses the season finale with a groin injury, which ends his then-franchise record for consecutive games played at 243. The streak began on Oct. 9, 2005, at Chicago in his first game with the club.
April 6, 2014: The Blue Jackets continue their push toward the second playoff appearance in franchise history, posting a 4-0 victory at the New York Islanders. Sergei Bobrovsky stops 31 shots to notch his fifth shutout of the season.
April 6, 2017: Columbus drops a 5-4 decision to visiting Winnipeg at Nationwide Arena, but Columbus native Jack Roslovic makes his NHL debut, playing 8:24 for the Jets.
April 6, 2019: One night after clinching a playoff spot with a win in Madison Square Garden, the Blue Jackets complete the season with a 6-2 victory at Ottawa. Pierre-Luc Dubois scores two goals and Alexandre Texier notches his first career tally.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson - Jack Roslovic - Liam Foudy
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Emil Bemstrom
Joona Luoto - Josh Dunne - Hunter McKown
Gavin Bayreuther - Andrew Peeke
Tim Berni - Adam Boqvist
Marcus Bjork - Billy Sweezey
Michael Hutchinson
Jon Gillies
Scratches: Lane Pederson (upper body, day to day), Patrik Laine (triceps strain, out two to four weeks as of March 24); Nick Blankenburg (ankle, week to week); Mathieu Olivier (lower leg bone bruise, out 2-4 weeks as of March 27); Erik Gudbranson (separated shoulder, out six weeks as of March 27); Elvis Merzlikins (lower body, day to day)
Injured reserve:Jake Bean (shoulder, out four to six months after surgery in November); Zach Werenski (shoulder surgery, out for season); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery, out for season)
Roster Report: The Blue Jackets sent down Greaves and defenseman Jake Christiansen on Wednesday, so it appears the squad is set to go with its 18 after the returns of Roslovic and Boqvist on Tuesday in Toronto. Hutchinson will get the start in net.