PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Devils at Nationwide Arena

Amid a 1-6-2 stretch, the Blue Jackets are trying to find themselves, and they could do just that on Tuesday in sunny Florida.

After 40 unforgettable minutes of a 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay, Columbus fought its way back into the game, scoring three straight goals to turn a one-sided affair into a close contest. Even though the Blue Jackets failed to complete their comeback in a 5-3 loss, it was an encouraging sign that the team may have found its game.

So what changed when the third period began?

“We played hard,” head coach Dean Evason said. “We played with determination. We didn’t play with all our might. We stuck our noses in and were rewarded for it. We went straight on. We didn’t seem as intimidated as we had in the first two periods, for whatever reason. We were on guard and it showed.”

Or as Adam Fantilli put it: “We came out in the third game the way we should have played the whole game. A 4-0 loss is kind of embarrassing, especially considering what happened in Carolina (Sunday’s 4-1 loss to the Hurricanes). It’s not great. We wanted to come in here and have a great game. Of course it wasn’t like that from the start, but we didn’t want to go out with it twice in a row. We tried to make the game a little more exciting and win it with what we had left in the third period.”

In the end, however, it wasn’t enough and the Blue Jackets had to escape with their fifth setback in a row (0-3-2). They’ll be looking for that elusive win against a tough opponent tonight as New Jersey sits fifth in the NHL in points.

To do that, you need a full 60 minutes of consistent ice hockey.

“We don’t question how hard our group is trying, but in two periods there’s no reason not to start like that (we played in the third),” Evason said. “The frustrating thing is that we know we can do it, but we don’t do it consistently.”

Know the Enemy: New Jersey Devils

Head Coach: Sheldon Keefe (Season 1)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.35 (7th) | Point defense: 2.56 (5th) | PP: 30.1 percent (2nd) | PK: 82.1 percent (8th)

The narrative: The last two years have shown how delicate the building process can be for a young team. Led by Jack Hughes, the Devils have recruited an impressive number of talented players during a stretch that included just one playoff appearance from 2013 to 2022, and that paid off two seasons ago when New Jersey won 52 games and made it in the second round made the playoffs. However, last year the Devils failed to finish seventh in the Metro due to injuries and inconsistency. Things are looking up this year; New Jersey got off to a hot start and hasn’t cooled off Keefe’s first season.

Team leader: One of the NHL’s most underrated players is back at it again as Jesper Bratt leads the team in scoring and is eighth in the NHL with 42 points, including 14 goals and 28 points. Hughes is back to the form that earned him 99 points two seasons ago and is right behind Bratt with a record of 13-28-41, which puts him 10th in the league. Nico Hischier added 16 to his team-best 29 points, Stefan Noesen matched his career high with 14 goals and Timo Meier also scored 10 points.

The biggest improvement for the Devils came in goal defense, and a lot of the credit goes to new tandem Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen. Markstrom has started 24 games and is 16-6-2 with a 2.29 GAA and a .909 save percentage, while Allen has made the most of his 10 starts (5-4-1, 2.74 GAA and a save percentage of .900).

What’s new: It’s not just the goaltenders, however, as the Devils rank third in the NHL in fewest shots allowed per game (25.8) and fifth in goals allowed per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick 5-on-5 (2.22). . That’s a huge credit to Keefe, who was released by Toronto during the offseason and has overseen a team that has allowed just three goals in its last three games, all of them victories. The team’s offseason acquisitions have also paid off, as Noesen is having a career year in his return to the Devils, Johnathan Kovacevic and Brett Pesce have solidified the blue line, and Markstrom has made significant improvements in net.

Trending: It’s the first meeting between the metro rivals this season, but New Jersey has won six of seven in the last two years, with Columbus finishing 1-2-1 in the series a year ago.

Former CBJ: None