Devils at Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets boast three shutouts in the last six games and try to accomplish the feat in both ends of a home-and-home series when they host the offensively challenged New Jersey Devils on Tuesday. The Blue Jackets, who are tied with Pittsburgh for second in the Metropolitan Division, blanked the Devils 3-0 on Sunday in New Jersey and have allowed six goals in six games.
Joonas Korpisalo had one of the shutouts and All-Star Sergei Bobrovsky boasts two straight, including Sunday’s 20-save performance that improved his goals-against average to 2.09 – third-best in the league entering Monday. “Bob’s been pretty good all year long, but he’s locked himself in (now),” Columbus coach John Tortorella told reporters of Bobrovsky, who allowed three goals in his last four starts. “It gives us an opportunity to keep climbing. It’s the most-important position in the game, and we have a pretty good one.” The Devils are second-to-last in the league in scoring (2.22) and winless in the last seven games (0-5-2) while recording only two goals in the past three contests. Kyle Palmieri tops New Jersey with 20 goals and nine of them have come in the last 15 games.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Pacific, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FSN Ohio (Columbus)
ABOUT THE DEVILS (25-28-12): Palmieri caught Taylor Hall for the team lead with 42 points and veteran center Travis Zajac is next with 39, including eight in his last eight contests. Former first-round pick Pavel Zacha (eight goals) returned to the lineup Sunday after missing four games with a concussion, but fellow forward Miles Wood (eight) sat out with a lower-body injury and is questionable. Veteran Andy Greene is expected to miss his third consecutive game for personal reasons while fellow defenseman Damon Severson (upper-body) could sit out his second straight contest.
ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (41-17-6): Columbus was still eighth in the league on the power play (21.5 percent) through Sunday despite converting 5-of-50 opportunities in the past 22 contests. Leading scorer Cam Atkinson (55 points) needs one goal to become the seventh player in franchise history to produce 30 in a season, but was blanked in the last four games and Alexander Wennberg (52) was kept off the scoresheet in the past four. Sam Gagner registered a goal in back-to-back games while fellow forward Josh Anderson (lower-body) is questionable after leaving Sunday’s game.
OVERTIME
1. Columbus D Zach Werenski boasts 39 points and needs one to break the tie with Rick Nash for the franchise rookie record.
2. New Jersey D Ben Lovejoy, who owns a goal and five assists this season, is slated to play his 400th NHL game.
3. The Blue Jackets won seven of the last nine meetings, but dropped a 5-1 decision at home Feb. 4.