Blue Jackets at Devils
After snapping their NHL-record 18-game losing streak in the shootout, the New Jersey Devils look to continue their good fortune when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday. Jacob Josefson scored the lone goal of the bonus format as New Jersey skated to a 2-1 triumph over Winnipeg on Thursday. "It was our first home win of the season, and first shootout win in what feels like 10 years," Devils coach Peter DeBoer said. "So we got a couple monkeys off our back and can move forward; it was a big two points."
Cory Schneider has been confirmed to make his 11th consecutive start on Saturday and owns an impressive 7-2-1 career mark with a 2.05 goals-against average versus Columbus. The short-handed Blue Jackets have been outscored 18-6 during their four-game skid, but coach Todd Richards doesn't want to use injuries as an excuse. "(It) doesn't matter who's in the lineup or who's not - we need to be better," he said after his team's 4-1 loss to Toronto on Friday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), MSG Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (4-6-0): Cam Atkinson scored for the second time in as many games when he netted a power-play goal midway through the third period versus the Maple Leafs. Atkinson has torched the Devils in four meetings, collecting three goals and three assists while registering a plus-5 rating. Ryan Johansen notched an assist to extend his point streak to 10 games, matching the franchise record set by R.J. Umberger in 2010.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (5-3-2): Mike Cammalleri will miss his third straight game on Saturday after taking an elbow to his jaw last week versus Dallas. While Cammalleri's availability officially is listed as "day to day", general manager Lou Lamoriello plans to be cautious with his team's goal-scoring leader (five). "We're not hiding anything," Lamoriello told the Bergen (N.J.) Record. "You can watch the video. ... Whether it's his head, his neck, his jaw, we're just making sure he feels 100 percent."
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey RW Michael Ryder, who scored in the third period on Thursday, has recorded seven goals and two assists in 14 career meetings versus Columbus.
2. With Sergei Bobrovsky (broken finger) sidelined and Curtis McElhinney struggling, Richards noted that "it's a possibility" that G Anton Forsberg makes his NHL debut on Saturday.
3. Devils RWs Martin Havlat (lower body) and Jordin Tootoo (foot) resumed skating on Friday but will be spectators against the Blue Jackets, according to DeBoer.