Blue Jackets 3, Devils 1
NEWARK, N.J. -- Center Boone Jenner and right winger Cam Atkinson scored 35 seconds apart midway through the third period to spark the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils Thursday night at the Prudential Center.
Left winger Scott Hartnell added an unassisted goal for Columbus while goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves to help the Blue Jackets win consecutive games for the first time this season.
The Blue Jackets are 2-1-0 since replacing Todd Richards as head coach with John Tortorella.
New Jersey's four game winning streak came to an end with the loss.
Right winger Kyle Palmieri scored a power-play goal, and goaltender Cory Schneider made 11 saves in the losing effort.
Jenner opened the scoring at 9:03 of the third period with his sixth of the season. Stationed in the low slot, Jenner corralled a loose puck and whipped a shot past Schneider.
Atkinson increased the lead to 2-0 when he scored his second of the season at 9:38. Like Jenner, Atkinson was in front of the net and was able to tap center Brandon Dubinsky's feed into the net.
Hartnell's snap shot from the left circle 5:09 later put the game out of reach, although Palmieri's second of the season cut the deficit to 3-1 in the closing minutes.
New Jersey went 1-for-4 on the power play, while Columbus went 0-for-3.
NOTES: Blue Jackets C Ryan Johansen missed his second straight game as he remained in Columbus to allow medical professionals to diagnose the root cause of his exhaustion. According to the team's website, coach John Tortorella said Johansen "just doesn't feel well. He lacks energy." ... Prior to the game, New Jersey placed LW Tuomo Ruutu on the injured reserve, retroactive to Oct. 16, with a fractured right foot. ... Former Devils LW Martin Havlat and C Dainius Zubrus signed professional tryout contracts with the St. Louis Blues Tuesday. Havlat's agent, Allan Walsh, confirmed on Twitter that his client had agreed to the PTO. ... As part of the NHL's Hockey Fights Cancer initiative, New Jersey wore lavender warm up jerseys that were later autographed and auctioned off. Additionally, the dasherboards and the ads on the dasherboards were ensconced in lavender and white.