New Jersey Devils vs Columbus Blue Jackets Match Player Stats On Mar 01, 2022

Patrik Laine remained red-hot Tuesday night, when his goal early in the third period proved to be the game-winner as the host Columbus Blue Jackets edged the New Jersey Devils 4-3.

Jake Christiansen's first NHL goal tied the game in the first for the Blue Jackets, who took the lead for good on Oliver Bjorkstrand's goal later in the period. Boone Jenner gave Columbus its first two-goal lead early in the second before Laine scored his 14th goal in his last 13 games -- the most goals in a 13-game span in team history.

Goalie Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves as the Blue Jackets snapped a two-game losing streak.

Jack Hughes scored in the first minute of the first period for the Devils, who dropped the second game of a back-to-back after routing the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 on Monday. Nico Hischier scored in the second and Pavel Zacha added a goal in the third.

Goalie Nico Daws recorded 27 saves.

Hughes shoved the puck into the net just 54 seconds after faceoff to cap a chaotic sequence that began with Damon Severson's slap shot glancing off Merzlikins. The puck then bounced off the skate of Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Peeke and New Jersey's Nathan Bastian and Columbus' Dean Kukan each jabbed at it before Hughes scored the power-play goal.

Christiansen scored his milestone goal with 6:52 left, when he took a cross-ice pass from Cole Sillinger and fired a shot under Daws' stick.

Bjorkstrand scored from the slot with 2:25 left and the Blue Jackets went ahead 3-1 after Jenner put home the rebound of a shot by Laine 46 seconds into the middle period and with one second left on a power play. Hischier pulled the Devils within a goal by scoring on a semi-breakaway with exactly four minutes left in the period.

The Blue Jackets again went ahead by two goals just 1:18 into the third, when Laine, surrounded by Hughes and Severson with Ryan Graves closing in from his left, managed to drag the puck behind him as Hughes and Severson almost bumped into each other. Laine then sent a shot under Daws' legs.

The Devils cut the deficit to one at the 7:07 mark after Zacha took a pass from Dawson Mercer and scored from the slot. Daws was pulled with a little more than two minutes left, but New Jersey didn't mount a serious threat.

--Field Level Media