New Jersey @ Columbus preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2018 ) Columbus 3, New Jersey 0

Although Sergei Bobrovsky yielded five goals in his return from a team suspension, the Columbus Blue Jackets have continued their ascent in the Metropolitan Division with wins in 10 of their last 13 games. The two-time Vezina Trophy recipient will look for a better performance on Tuesday as the Blue Jackets host the New Jersey Devils.

Bobrovsky made 29 saves in Columbus' 2-1 home victory over New Jersey on Dec. 20 before turning aside all 39 shots he faced three nights later in a 3-0 win to improve his career mark against the club to a sterling 15-5-1. Cam Atkinson scored in both of those meetings and boosted his team-leading goal total to 26 with tallies in back-to-back contests to push his point streak to three games. Reigning Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall, who has scored the Devils' lone goal versus the Blue Jackets, watched his team erupt for a season-high in goals in Monday's 8-5 win over Chicago and improve to 6-4-0 while he's been sidelined with a lower-body injury. Blake Coleman scored twice on Monday to push his goal total to five in six games and added an assist for his seventh point in that stretch, although he was kept off the scoresheet in each of last month's contests against Columbus.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, MSG Plus 2 (New Jersey), FS Ohio (Columbus)

ABOUT THE DEVILS (18-20-7): Kyle Palmieri increased his team-leading goal total to 22 by registering his fifth two-goal performance of the season in a three-minute span of the second period on Monday. The 27-year-old, who also moved past the "idle" Hall for the club lead in points (38), tallied three times in his previous 14 games prior to his outburst versus the Blackhawks. Nico Hischier set up Palmieri's first goal to boost his point total to 11 (five goals, six assists) in his last 12 contests.

ABOUT THE BLUE JACKETS (27-15-3): Captain Nick Foligno posted his second multi-goal performance of the season in Sunday's 7-5 victory over the New York Rangers. The 31-year-old has scored 11 of his 12 goals this season at Nationwide Arena, including a first-period tally in the first meeting with the Devils. Artemi Panarin, who scored and set up a goal in the latter encounter with New Jersey, netted his eighth tally in 11 games and set up another against the Rangers to increase his club-best totals in assists (33) and points (50).

OVERTIME

1. New Jersey C Travis Zajac (goal, two assists) and LW Jesper Bratt (two assists) matched their point totals from their previous six games with Monday's performance.

2. Columbus' 10th-ranked penalty kill has thwarted 35 of the opposition's last 38 power-play opportunities.

3. The Devils' five road wins are the fewest in the NHL.

PREDICTION: Blue Jackets 5, Devils 2