New Jersey @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2019 ) New Jersey 2, Columbus 0

The Columbus Blue Jackets are losing players at an alarming rate but try for their fourth straight victory when they host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Cam Atkinson (lower body) became the fifth Columbus player injured in the last four games when he left Thursday's 3-2 overtime victory over Los Angeles and won't return until after Christmas.

“The guys that have gone in have done a great job,” Blue Jackets defenseman Scott Harrington told reporters. “We always have such a competitive camp, and there’s only a certain amount of roster spots, but I don’t think that is necessarily an indicator of how many NHL players we have in this organization, in Columbus and Cleveland. The goal doesn’t change, no matter who’s in the lineup, so we’re just trying to stick to that.” Ryan MacInnis, the son of Hall of Fame defenseman Al MacInnis, is expected to make his NHL debut Saturday after the center accumulated 39 points in 99 games over the past two seasons with AHL Cleveland. The Blue Jackets have won seven straight over the Devils and 10 of the last 11 meetings. New Jersey, which owns the second-fewest points in the league (27), was denied its first three-game winning streak of the season with a 6-3 loss to Washington on Friday, falling to 2-7-1 in the last 10 games.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus (New Jersey), FS Ohio

ABOUT THE DEVILS (11-18-5): New Jersey scores the second-fewest goals per game in the league but Kyle Palmieri is doing his part by scoring in three straight contests and recording five of his team-high 14 goals in the past eight games. Blake Coleman joined Palmieri as the only Devils with a double-figure goal total when he scored Friday. Gilles Senn made his NHL debut against Washington, playing the final 11:35 in relief of Mackenzie Blackwood, and could make his first start.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (15-14-6): Pierre-Luc Dubois (team-high 12 goals) is set to play his 200th NHL game after scoring in each of the last two contests and totaling four assists in the past four. Gustav Nyquist owns a plus-1 rating and a team-high 25 points - one more than Dubois - and boasts six during a four-game point streak. Josh Anderson and Sonny Milano, along with defensemen Andrew Peeke, Ryan Murray and David Savard (illness) were all out of Thursday's lineup.

OVERTIME

1. Columbus RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (10 goals, 21 points) has three goals and two assists in the last three games after assisting on Boone Jenner's tying tally with 1:43 remaining Thursday.

2. New Jersey D Andy Greene on Friday played his 900th career game, becoming the seventh player in club history to reach that milestone.

3. The Blue Jackets have scored a power-play goal in each of the last two games after going six contests without one (0-for-20).

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 3, Devils 2