New Jersey Devils @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 12/16/23 Game Recap

With the nail-biting overtime win for the Blue Jackets on Thursday night in the past, the team would come into tonight hoping to win in regular time. Unfortunately, this game wouldn't start in the home team's favor. One of the NHL's Living Legends, Jack Hughes, would score less than a minute into this game at 0:47. It was early for the newly returned Daniil Trasov. Still, with 16:21 left in this first twenty-minute period, a second puck from Erik Haula would zip past Tarasov. So, the Devils would head into the locker room with a 2-0 lead. 

That said, just 0:12 into period two, Kirill Mrchenko would pop one into the Devils' net and get the Blue Jackets a goal! It was a single assist on this Marchenko goal, and it would be Johnny Gaudreau's twelfth assist this season. The Devils would find the net again at 0:50, though, as Tyler Toffoli would give his Devils back their two-goal lead. The Blue Jackets would need an answer, and Yegor Chinakov would have it at 8:38. Andrew Peek would increase his assists to three, while Dmitir Voronkov would reach his jersey number of ten this season. Sadly, again, the Devils would regain their two-goal lead at 14:54 after Jack Hughes's second goal tonight. This would be the final goal of the second period, and the Blue Jackets would go into this intermission having two goals, but they would still be down by two. 

With just 2:50 in this final regulation period, Nico Hischier would give the Devils their most significant lead of the night, 5-2. The Blue Jackets would continue to fight, and it would finally pay off at 18:52 as Alexander Texier found his sixth goal of his NHL season. With his ninth assist, Adam Fantilli gains a point tonight, while David Jiricek would do the same with his seventh assist this season. Jack Hughes wouldn't go into the locker room quietly, completing his hattrick at 19:12. The Blue Jackets would ultimately lose tonight 6-3. At times, some of the Blue Jackets' passes were off, and a penalty did give the Devils' Jack Hughes his second goal. That said, seeing Daniil Tarasov back in the NHL for the first time this season was great, and the Blue Jackets battled in front of him all right. The Devils came to Columbus for revenge, and they got it...for now. 

The Blue Jackets retake the ice on Tuesday night, December 19th. The Buffalo Savers will come to town for a game at 7:00 p.m. We'll talk then! 

Also, I wish the best to Patrik Laine as he mends from a fractured clavicle suffered in Thursday's game. Also, a get-well-soon to Bob McElligott as he missed tonight's game with an illness. 

Go CBJ!  


        

   

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