THE SCOOP
Fresh off a successful homestand, the Devils continued their winning ways on the road against the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night. The win was the third straight for New Jersey and the Devils have gone 6-3-1 over their last 10 games. Ondrej Palat, Stefan Noesen, Brenden Dillon, and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey while Jacob Markstrom stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced. In the win, the Devils power play got back on track, scoring their first power play goal in six games. New Jersey continues to limit their opponents to 20 or fewer shots in their last four consecutive games with a structured defensive effort.
Nico Hischier's 16 goals lead the Devils while Stefan Noesen and Jesper Bratt are tied for second with 14 goals. Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt are tied for the team-lead in assists with 28. Bratt's 42 points lead the team while Hughes is right behind him with 41 points. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen make up the Devils goaltending tandem. Through 24 games played Markstrom has a 16-6-2 record. He's averaging 2.29 goals against and has a .909 save percentage. Allen has a 5-4-1 record through 10 games played. He is averaging 2.74 goals against and has a .904 save percentage. After missing the last eight days due to injury, head coach Sheldon Keefe confirmed Dec. 16 that Allen was healthy and available. New Jersey returns home following Thursday's game in Columbus for a three-game homestand. Up first, the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night.
The Blue Jackets enter Thursday’s game on a five-game skid where they’ve suffered three regulation losses and two overtime losses. In their most recent game against Tampa Bay, the Lightning were in control of the game through the first 40 minutes, scoring once in the first period and three goals in the second period. Seven and a half minutes into the third period, the Blue Jackets got on the board and went on to score three unanswered goals to bring the game within one. However, an empty net goal with just over two minutes left in regulation sealed the win for Tampa.
Kirill Marchenko’s 11 goals pace the Blue Jackets and he is tied with Zach Werenski for most points with 31. Marchenko is second on the team for assists (20) while Werenski leads Columbus with 21 assists. Third in assists and points, as well as tied for third most goals on the team, Sean Monahan is also a top contributor for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins is the Blue Jackets starter and he has a 9-9-2 record through his 20 games this season. He’s averaging 3.11 goals against and has a .887 save percentage. Following their game against the Devils, the Blue Jackets face the Flyers in Philadelphia Saturday night before returning home for a game against the Canadiens on Dec. 23.
WHO’S HOT
Devils: Ondrej Palat has four points in his last four games, three of which have been goals. Palat's goal Tuesday night opened the scoring for the Devils against the Blues. On a line with Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt, Palat continues to be a difference maker on and off the scoresheet.
Blue Jackets: With five points in his last game, including points in three straight, Kirill Marchenko has been on a roll. Marchenko's 11 goals lead the team and he's second in assists and points. Marchenko has four assists over his three-game points streak. In addition, Marchenko is two assists away from setting a new career-high for assists in a single season.
INJURIES
Devils: Hatakka (shoulder, IR)
Blue Jackets: Chinakhov (upper-body, IR), Johnson (eye), Danforth (lower-body), Jenner (shoulder, IR), Lindstrom (back), Gudbranson (shoulder, IR), Dumais (lower-body), Fabbro (lower-body)
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS
- Dec. 19 @ CBJ
- Mar. 11 vs CBJ
- Mar. 17 @ CBJ
