Blue Jackets at Devils
THE STORY: The Columbus Blue Jackets are on a roll after winning two straight for the first time in 42 games, and they mostly have Curtis Sanford to thank. Sanford will make his fourth straight start in goal when Columbus visits the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday. Sanford (2-0-1, 1.46, .943) spent the last two seasons with Hamilton of the American Hockey League, but the 32-year-old is making the most of his opportunity in place of the struggling Steve Mason. New Jersey blew a three-goal lead and fell 4-3 at Florida on Monday as coach Peter DeBoer lost to the team that fired him April 10. “They didn’t stop and we probably got what we deserved in the end,’’ said DeBoer, whose team has won six of its last nine. New Jersey has won four straight meetings since Columbus’ 3-2 victory in overtime Dec. 11, 2005 and has won five of the seven meetings all-time.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey), Fox Sports Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (5-13-2): Columbus, which is 3-1-1 in its last five, won its first road game, 4-3 in overtime at Nashville on Saturday, and defeated Calgary 4-1 at home Monday. Mason (3-12-1, 3.63, .875) missed Monday’s game after taking a puck to the mask during the morning practice. Jeff Carter scored twice Monday and has three goals in his last two games, while Rick Nash has a goal and two assists in his last two. Columbus has never won in New Jersey (0-3 with a tie).
ABOUT THE DEVILS (10-8-1): Ilya Kovalchuk has two goals in three games since returning from a groin injury. New Jersey went 3-2-0 in his absence, but his presence in the lineup adds a big jolt to the offense. Defenseman Anton Volchenkov needed 12 stitches in his face after taking a high check from Florida’s Shawn Matthias, and is questionable to play Wednesday. The Devils and Rangers are tied with the second-worst power play in the NHL at 12.9 percent.
OVERTIME:
1. Columbus has scored two goals in 12 of its games, including all seven in its season-opening 0-6-1 start. It is 1-10-1 in those games.
2. The game features the best (New Jersey, 93.2 percent) and worst (Columbus, 72.5) penalty-killing units in the NHL.