The New Jersey Devils are taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets for the first time this season at Nationwide Arena, Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
After an impressive win against the St. Louis Blues that saw goals from Ondrej Palat, Brendan Dillon, Stefan Noesen and Jesper Bratt, the Devils are looking to grab an important two points against a divisional opponent.
The Devils currently sit in first place in the Metropolitan division, with a record of 21-10-3. The Blue Jackets are last in the division with a record of 12-15-5.
The Devils are 7-3-0 against the Blue Jackets in their last 10 games against each other. The Devils have outscored the Blue Jackets 42-22 in that span.
The Devils are coming into this game on a three-game win streak. During those three games they have scored 11 goals and allowed three. The Devils defense has been spectacular, possibly the best defense the Devils have seen in quite some time.
The Blue Jackets are on a five-game losing skid and have lost eight out of their last 10 games.
Jacob Markstrom has started the last handful of games for the Devils and has been a brick wall in net. He has gone 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts for the Devils. The Swede currently has 16 wins on the season, which is tied for second in the league. Before his injury, Jake Allen was one of the best backup goaltenders in the league. He has five wins, two shutouts and a save percentage of .904% in his last 10 games. This game might be the perfect opportunity for Allen to get back into his groove. The starting goaltender has yet to be confirmed.
Palat has been on fire recently for the Devils as he has three goals in his last four games. His line mates, Bratt and Jack Hughes, have also been having impressive seasons thus far. With the top line producing at the rate they are, do not be surprised if one of them gets on the board against Columbus.
The Devils power play finally got going again against the Blues as the dominant and historic power play went cold for a few games. Hopefully, the Devils are able to jump on the power play and continue to find the success they were having previously.
Fortunately for the Devils, when the power play went cold, the penalty kill became hot. The Devils have the eighth overall penalty kill in the league, coming in at 82.1%. They are 10/10 in their last five games.
Will the Devils be able to continue their win streak to four games? Find out Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.
