Blue Jackets at Devils
The Columbus Blue Jackets can look to Tuesday's opponent for motivation of how a team can turn its fortunes around following a winless start to the season. After tasting victory for the first time in their eighth contest, the Blue Jackets attempt to begin a winning streak when they visit the red-hot New Jersey Devils.
New Jersey rebounded from a four-game skid (0-3-1) to start the season by winning four straight one-goal decisions, with the first three venturing past regulation. "We're in a lot of tight, tight, close games and (Saturday) was another one of those," coach John Hynes said after the Devils posted a 4-3 win over Buffalo. "It doesn't matter if it's overtime or regulation, as long as we find a way to win." While New Jersey is heating up, Columbus is looking to build off a 4-3 victory over Colorado on Saturday that ended its franchise-worst start to a season. Brandon Dubinsky scored the go-ahead goal in the third period versus the Avalanche and has five tallies and seven assists in his last seven meetings with the Devils.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Columbus), MSG-Plus (New Jersey)
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (1-8-0): Ryan Johansen will miss his second straight contest on Tuesday as he addresses an illness that has sapped his strength, but reportedly is not related to the accelerated heart rate that hospitalized him at least once this summer. "It's nothing with his heart," Johansen's agent Kurt Overhardt told the Columbus Dispatch on Monday. "He's just not feeling well, and we're trying to figure out why." Former Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky is feeling better after stopping 31 shots versus Colorado.
ABOUT THE DEVILS (4-3-1): Adam Henrique scored two goals and set up another against the Sabres and has five tallies and three assists in his last five contests. Michael Cammalleri is riding high on a four-game point streak (two goals, six assists) and had two tallies in a 3-2 overtime loss to Columbus on March 31. Cory Schneider lost that contest, but owns a sterling 9-3-2 career mark versus the Blue Jackets with a 2.04 goals-against average.
OVERTIME
1. New Jersey veteran LW Tuomo Ruutu is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a fracture in his right foot.
2. Columbus has scored at least one power-play goal in seven of its nine contests.
3. The Devils last won five in a row on Feb. 3-10, 2013.