COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS
TV: Bally Sports Ohio Jeff Rimer (play-by-play), Jody Shelley (color analyst), Dave Maetzold (reporter)
Radio: 97.1 The Fan Bob McElligott (play-by-play), Dylan Tyrer (host)
THE MATCHUP
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
2021-22 Record: 4-3-0, 8 pts. (7th, Metropolitan Division)
Goals: 2.71 Goals-For/2.71 Goals-Against… Shots: 27.3 Shots-For/34.4 Shots-Against
Power Play: 22.7 percent (13th, NHL)… Penalty Kill: 75.0 percent (24th, NHL)
Penalty Minutes: 9.4 PIM (13th, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout): 2-0-0 (0-0)
NEW JERSEY DEVILS
2021-22 Record: 3-2-0, 6 pts. (8th, Metropolitan Division)
Goals: 2.80 Goals-For/3.00 Goals-Against… Shots: 31.4 Shots-For/27.4 Shots-Against
Power Play: 23.1 percent (12th, NHL)… Penalty Kill: 66.7 percent (29th, NHL)
Penalty Minutes: 13.8 PIM (30th, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout): 2-0-0 (0-0)
Players to Watch: C Pavel Zacha has recorded points in four of his first five games of the season and leads the club in goals and points with 4-1-5 in five outings… D Dougie Hamilton, who signed a seven-year contract as a free agent with the club in the offseason, posted 10-32-42 in 55 GP with Carolina in 2020-21… G Jonathan Bernier has posted a 2-0-0, 2.48 GAA and .911 SV% in two appearances this season and owns a 2.77 GAA and .913 SV% in 396 career NHL games.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Results: Columbus has gone 24-13-3 in 40 all-time meetings, including 10-6-3 on the road… Of Note: The clubs did not meet in 2020-21… CBJ went 2-0-1 vs. the Devils in 2019-20… The Blue Jackets have recorded points in 10-straight games in the series overall (9-0-1) and are 18-3-1 against the Devils since Mar. 6, 2015… CBJ have recorded points in seven consecutive at New Jersey since Mar. 5, 2017 (6-0-1) and have failed to collect a point in just one of the last 11 games at Prudential Center (9-1-1)… New Jersey posted the first three shutouts in the all-time series while Columbus has recorded the past four (MR: Merzlikins, 41 saves in 5-0 win at CBJ on Jan. 18, 2020)… The Blue Jackets have been awarded all four penalty shots in the all-time series.
This Season (CBJ, 0-0-0)
Oct. 31, 2021 – at New Jersey (5 p.m.)
Jan. 6, 2022 – at New Jersey (7 p.m.)
Jan. 8, 2022 – at Columbus (7 p.m.)
Mar. 1, 2022 – at Columbus (7 p.m.)
CBJ TEAM NOTES
The Blue Jackets dropped the opening contest of their three-game road trip with a 4-0 loss at the NY Rangers on Friday… The club fell to 0-2-0 on the road this season… CBJ finish off the road trip with a game Wednesday at Colorado… The team is 4-1-0 at Nationwide Arena in 2021-22, setting CBJ records for the most wins and points through the first five home games of a campaign… The Blue Jackets are in the middle of stretch of six of nine games from Oct. 21-Nov. 13 against Metropolitan Division foes (1-2-0)… CBJ are 2-2-0 in games played on Halloween in franchise history, most recently falling 3-2 to Winnipeg in 2015… The first three games played on Halloween (2000 vs. LAK, 2007 at LAK and 2014 vs. TOR) were all 4-1 finals… Columbus had the youngest season-opening roster in average age at 25.71. New Jersey (25.74) was the only other team to have an average age of its roster younger than 26-years-old… CBJ also had the most diverse roster to open the season with 10 countries represented (Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Latvia, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the USA).
CBJ PLAYER NOTES
The Blue Jackets have had 11 different players record goals this season, while 17-of-21 skaters have recorded at least one point… RW Oliver Bjorkstrand leads the club in assists and points with 3-6-9 in seven games this season, recording all of his points in three multi-point efforts. He has notched 8-5-13 in 15 career games against the Devils… C Max Domi (1-3-4, 3 GP) returned to the lineup on Friday after missing four games with a rib fracture. He has collected 1-8-9 in 12 career contests vs. New Jersey… C Boone Jenner, who ranks seventh in the NHL in faceoffs taken (150) and faceoff pct (60.7; min. 75 draws) recorded a power play goal in three-straight games prior to Monday’s contest… LW Patrik Laine collected points in the first five outings in 2021-22 (2-4-6)… G Elvis Merzlikins fell for the first time this season after stopping 33-of-37 shots on Friday at New York. He is fifth-T in the NHL in SV% (.939) and seventh in GAA-T (1.98) among goaltenders playing at least three games.… RW Jakub Voracek has a four-game assist streak at New Jersey (0-5-5) and has posted assists in eight of his last nine outings, including four multi-assist efforts, at Prudential Center with 0-13-13… D Zach Werenski has recorded points in four of the seven games with two multi-point efforts this season (2-4-6).
MILESTONES
• C Alexandre Texier is six games from 100 in his NHL career (13-18-31, 94 GP).
• D Zach Werenski is five points from 200 for his NHL career (67-128-195, 342 GP).
OhioHEALTH INJURY REPORT
• RW Emil Bemstrom (left oblique strain; Injured Reserve on Oct. 14) is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks
• D Adam Boqvist (lower body) is day-to-day
• D Dean Kukan (wrist fracture; Injured Reserve on Oct. 26) is expected to miss eight weeks
TOTAL MAN GAMES LOST: 14
COURTESY CBJ COMMUNICATIONS
