New Jersey Devils setting standard that Columbus Blue Jackets hope to meet meet soon
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The cross-checks Billy Sweezey gave to New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier on Thursday at Prudential Center were cathartic and symbolic for the Blue Jackets, who are wrapping up a frustrating, injury-plagued season.
The fact that Hischier and the Devils were still hunting goals with an 8-1 lead late in a game that ended with the same score was as telling about the trajectories of these teams as it was seeing Sweezey plus a host of others from the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters try their best while overmatched.
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The Devils, a high-powered young juggernaut, are what the Blue Jackets hope to become, provided they figure out how to prevent more than half the NHL roster disappearing with injuries at the same time. New Jersey is fast, overflowing with skill and driven by an engine that's turbocharged by top-10 picks in five of the past six drafts — including twice winning the lottery to pick first overall (2017, 2019) and moving up to second last year via lottery draw.
Columbus has made five first-round picks in the past two drafts, including the fifth and 12th selections in 2021 (Kent Johnson, Cole Sillinger) plus the sixth and 12th picks last summer (David Jiricek, Denton Mateychuk). All except for Mateychuk have made their NHL debuts, including Johnson blossoming into a top forward and Sillinger holding high expectations despite “sophomore” struggles as a second-year center who’s only 19.
Jiricek was dominant at the 2023 world juniors and is finishing his first professional season in the AHL. Mateychuk impressed in the junior ranks again and there’s a stable of other promising defensemen prospects behind them.
Factor in the rapid development of rookie Kirill Marchenko plus Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Zach Werenski, Boone Jenner and others, and you can see the fledgling start of a core that could turn into a new Devils in the next couple of years. The actual Devils, however, are a stiff reminder that Columbus isn’t there yet — and probably isn’t close if the Jackets don’t win the May 8 draft lottery for the right to select Connor Bedard, a “generational talent” akin to Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
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Watching a 27-year old “rookie” like Sweezey ― who’s scrapped his way through every level to get an NHL opportunity ― pound away on Hischier, the first overall pick in 2017, said a lot about each team. The Devils are preparing for the playoffs and the scrappy Blue Jackets are stumbling to the finish line in a way that could give their future a major boost depending on lottery balls.
Johnny Gaudreau the latest to leave Columbus Blue Jackets' lineup
Gaudreau leaves lineup
The injury/illness bug bit the Blue Jackets again Thursday in New Jersey, showing that it plans to afflict Columbus right to the bitter end in a season that’s ravaged by health problems.
Gaudreau played just three shifts for a total of 2:15 Thursday after leaving due to an illness 8:50 into the game.
“(He) couldn’t get through that, so it’s a big part of our team,” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “You lose him, basically, at the beginning of the game. So, he’s a pretty key guy with what we already don’t have in our lineup.”
It was just the third absence this season for Gaudreau, whose 349-game “ironman” streak ended in mid-February due to a lower-body injury that forced him to miss a two-game trip to Dallas and Arizona.
Gaudreau, who played Tuesday in a 4-2 loss at the Toronto Blue Jackets, joins a long list of Blue Jackets regulars currently out with a variety of issues. It’s par for the course for Columbus in a season that’s been marred by injuries from the start.
Joona Luoto’s first NHL goal withstands review
In just the first two periods, there were three video reviews to determine whether goals counted or not.
One favored the Devils, when it was confirmed the puck didn’t cross the goal line before Blue Jackets rookie Josh Dunne crashed into Devils goalie Vitek Vanacek following an uncalled trip in the first period that led to the net coming off its moorings.
The other two favored the Blue Jackets, including a missed offside call that overturned a goal by Devils forward Tomas Tatar and an unsuccessful review for goaltender interference requested by Devils coach Lindy Ruff. That one upheld a goal scored in the second period by Blue Jackets forward Joona Luoto, who poked a loose puck in the crease underneath Vanacek.
Sean Kuraly made slight contact with Vancek in the crease prior to the goal, but it was determined that he didn’t cause the goalie to tumble into the net.
It was the first NHL goal for Luoto, a longtime friend of Patrik Laine who signed a one-year contract with Columbus last summer. Luoto played 16 NHL games without scoring a goal in 2019-20 for the Winnipeg Jets and hope to win a roster spot with the Blue Jackets in training camp.
A lower-body injury sustained early in camp prevented that from happening and kept him on injured reserve to start the season. Luoto was assigned to the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters when healthy and became a productive two-way forward, scoring 14 goals and adding 11 assists for 25 points in 43 games.
He’s only 25, has good size (6-foot-3, 192 pounds) and is a pending free agent this summer. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he re-signs for another year with the Blue Jackets to give it another shot.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New Jersey Devils providing map for Columbus Blue Jackets to follow
