New Jersey Devils steal late win over growing Columbus Blue Jackets
The importance for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena wasn’t in the two points the New Jersey Devils stole with 1.4 seconds left to play.
Ryan Graves’ last-second winner was a gut-punch for Columbus, but the Devils were the team that needed the two points it delivered.
They kept pace with the Carolina Hurricanes, solidifying their hold on second in the Metropolitan Division, pushed the difference between themselves and the New York Rangers to five points and continued marching toward the playoffs. The Blue Jackets (16-34-4) were more interested in the challenges that a matchup against another top team presented on a night that veteran defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov was scratched to protect his health for trade purposes.
“You get this question sometimes, ‘Well, where’s the growth?’ ” Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. “The growth comes in those games on a Saturday night, and how are you going to handle it against a top 5 team? How do you handle losing? How do you handle adversity? These are the things you don’t see in the analytic world or the stats, but there’s so much to grow from for all these guys, our older guys and our younger guys.”
The Blue Jackets added another mark to their growth chart on a Tuesday night against the Devils (35-13-3), who routed Columbus 7-1 on Oct. 30 in New Jersey. That was a humiliating afternoon, as the Devils outshot the Blue Jackets 53-21 and poured it on against a sluggish, overmatched opponent.
This was a different story. This one carried meaning for the Blue Jackets right up to Graves’ winning goal that left them stunned and stung.
It was about carrying over the final two periods of a stirring 4-3 victory on Saturday in Toronto, which was accomplished in front of 15,840. It was about goalie Elvis Merzlikins (29 saves) continuing his turnaround with another solid effort. It was about forging ahead with Gavrikov in street clothes and Gavin Bayreuther returning to the lineup in his place.
It was about living up to a new standard of expectation for the beleaguered Blue Jackets, who have 28 games left to build some sort of foundation for the next few years.
“We’re a young team and we’re still learning,” said Johnny Gaudreau, whose goal with 1.3 seconds left in the first period capped a late comeback push to tie it 1-1. “There’s a lot of things to learn each night, but if we just keep working hard, having fun at the rink together, coming together, getting better together … that’s what’s most important for us.”
What happened on the final possession in the New Jersey Devils’ win over the Blue Jackets?
In keeping with a season-long trend, the Blue Jackets paid a heavy price for a costly turnover inside the offensive zone with time running out in the third period.
Carrying the puck over the New Jersey blue line, rookie Kirill Marchenko spotted Gaudreau open along the left wing and tried to send him a feed. The puck was intercepted by Michael McLeod, who sent it to teammate Ondrej Palat in the neutral zone for a rush the opposite direction.
Palat got it back to McLeod, who walked around Blue Jackets defenseman Andrew Peeke in the slot for a well-placed feed into traffic in front of the net. Graves got his stick on the puck just before a body check by Columbus captain Boone Jenner and tapped it into the net with 1.4 seconds on the clock.
It was a harsh way for the Blue Jackets to learn another lesson involving puck security, especially in a tied game with little time remaining.
"It’s Marchy and he’s coming over the blue line, he’s got Johnny to his left … and it’s the right play," Larsen said. "If he lays it over there, Johnny probably gets to the bottom of the circle and maybe we win the game. But you’ve got to make the play.”
Not making it played right into the Devils’ strategic setup and speed.
“We talked about it right from the first period on,” Larsen said. “If you don’t get pucks through the neutral zone and pass it into the corner, through the top of their circles, they’re just deadly. They’re so quick in transition that you have to be so careful. You have to make sure you get it into the corners and it kind of bit us there at the end.”
Columbus Blue Jackets stung by loss, retain top spot to chase Connor Bedard
Those hoping the Blue Jackets finish last in the NHL and receive the best odds to win the 2023 draft lottery have gotten two “best case” scenarios in the past couple games.
The win Saturday was a quality victory over a Top 5 team for that reason and because it didn’t lift the Blue Jackets out of last place in the league’s standings. It was also a national broadcast on Hockey Night In Canada and provided an emotional boost after the Jackets lost 3-0 to the Maple Leafs on Friday.
Tuesday’s outcome against the Devils was a quality loss in the lottery chase, allowing Columbus to continue maturing against a quality team while remaining last in the standings with 36 points. Getting the game to overtime would’ve guaranteed at least one point, which would’ve moved the Blue Jackets into a tie for points with the Chicago Blackhawks, who've played two fewer games.
The team that finishes last at the end of the season gains the best odds at winning the lottery, which this season carries the prize of selecting center Connor Bedard ― the league’s next projected “generational” talent. The odds of the last place team winning the first pick aren’t great at 25.5%, but that’s the highest win probability available.
Columbus has never won the lottery draw and has only picked first one time, selecting Rick Nash in 2002 after trading to get the top pick.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets stunned in by New Jersey Devils
