Columbus Blue Jackets remain 31st in NHL standings, routed by New Jersey Devils
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There was no need for hand-wringing Thursday for Blue Jackets fans monitoring the situation at the bottom of the NHL’s league standings.
Columbus remains 31st of 32 teams after an ugly 8-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in a game that became a rout in the third period.
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Paced by four points from Jack Hughes on two goals and two assists, the Devils (50-21-8) made sure they didn’t stumble against the injury-depleted Blue Jackets (24-46-8). Hughes’ 41st and 42nd goals, combined with a goal by Tomas Tatar, gave New Jersey a 3-0 lead in the first period. The Devils also scored five unanswered goals to make it a blowout after Joona Luoto’s first NHL goal cut it to 3-1 for Columbus in the second.
“You can see from the result it wasn’t the best hockey that we’ve been playing,” Luoto said. “We just weren’t playing good enough … like the result says.”
Vitek Vanacek started in net for New Jersey and picked up a win by making just 16 saves. Michael Hutching allowed five goals on 24 shots while starting for the Blue Jackets and backup Jon Gillies allowed three goals on 11 shots in relief. It was the second visit to Newark, New Jersey for Columbus this season and both were humbling experiences to say the least.
The Devils, who won 7-1 over the Blue Jackets on Oct. 30 at Prudential Center, won both games played in New jersey by 15-2 combined margin and won 3-2 on a last-second goal Feb. 14 in Columbus to sweep the season series (3-0-0).
It’s been that kind of year for the Blue Jackets, who've dealt with a parade of injuries and illnesses from the outset of training camp. They played the Devils on Thursday without nine injured players and the “man-games lost” for Columbus is now at 521, which doesn’t count Johnny Gaudreau leaving Thursday after three shifts due to illness.
Missing Gaudreau and Patrik Laine (triceps), a Blue Jackets power play that had recently been one of the NHL’s most dangerous groups went 0 for 5 and coughed up a shorthanded goal by Damon Severson to cap a 3-on-1 rush in the third. It was one of four goals for the Devils that period.
“It just got away from us in the third,” Larsen said. “We were way too loose, and they got a couple there. We looked like a deflated group in giving up too much there, so not the way you want to finish, obviously. Tough night for some guys.”
The Blue Jackets play three of their final four games in Columbus, starting with a matchup Saturday at Nationwide Arena against the New York Rangers – the Devils’ most likely opponent in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets routed by New Jersey Devils again
