Columbus Blue Jackets @ New Jersey Devils: Season 25 Game 25

5th Line, you're not ready for this spicy game recap! The game wouldn't start the best for our visiting team. Nico Hischier would add goal ten to his season with only 1:28 gon in Period 1. This would also be a power play goal for the Devils as Zach Werenski sat in the box for his first time this season. Honestly, the fact that it took him 25 games, as a defenseman, shocks me a little! Jesper Bratt would gain his twentieth assist on this early goal with the primary, while Dawson Mercer would add his eleventh on the secondary. The Devils would then go up 2-0 within a couple of minutes after Ondrej Palat scored his second goal this season with 3:03 gone in the first period. This goal would have only one assist, belonging to Arseny Gritsyuk, his seventh so far this season. After these two quick scores, the Blue Jackets' Denton Mateychuk would steal back a goal on the power play at 9:54 after Devils' Brenden Dillon sat in the box for hooking Blue Jackets Isac Lundestrom! This goal would bring Charlie Coyle up to thirteen assists, scoring on the primary, and Ivan Provorov up to five. scoring on the secondary.  The 2-1 score with the Devils ahead of the Blue Jackets would hold until it appeared as if the Devils had gone up 3-1 late in Period 1. This is where the game got a bit of red pepper flake sprinkled on it. This goal was ruled good by the refs even though a Devils player ended up falling on top of Elvis Merzlikins. In the process, Elvis Merzlikins couldn't stop the puck, and the Blue Jackets' bench wasted no time in disputing this goal. Shockingly, we would win the challenge, and the score would revert to 2-1, and that's how the first period would end. The Devils would lead shots on net in this opening period, 10-7.

If Period 1 had the spice of red pepper flakes, Period 2 was a batch of jalapenos, raw, with the seeds! I legit needed a calculator to add up all the penalty minutes. The answer? 64! In one period! This would all start with a fight between Devils' Brenden Dillon and Blue Jackets' Dimitri Voronkov. At the same time, 1:01 into the middle period, Adam Fantilli would be charged two minutes for slashing the Devils' goaltender, Jake Allen. Seconds after this, at 1:28, Sean Monahan would knock in his fourth goal of the season, tying us at 2-2! Cole Sillinger, with the primary, adds assist number six to his season, while Zach Werenski, on the secondary, adds assist number sixteen to his! This was the only goal of the period. More fighting would happen at 3:58, the biggest penalty going to Jonas Siegenthaler of the Devils for game misconduct against Adam Fantilli of the Blue Jackets after he didn't secure his jersey before the game. So, that's a rare one! He'd get five minutes for fighting Adam Fantilli on top of that game misconduct against Adam Fantilli, too. In addition to this major penalty that would result in the Devils losing a vital defenseman, their second after Brenden Dillon left injured post-fight with Dimitri Voronkov, Adam Fantilli would get five minutes for fighting. Sean Monahan, also at 3:50, would sit for two minutes after high-sticking Paul Cotter of the Devils. But, wait, there's more! Devils' Connor Brown would be found guilty of slashing Adam Fantilli, also at 3:58, so he'd go for two minutes, and, at the same time, he'd get two minutes extra for cross-checking our Zach Werenski. A couple of minutes would pass, then, at 9:22, Damon Severson would get two minutes for initiating a fight, then five minutes for said fight. Dimitri Voronkov would fight Devils Stefan Noesen, who'd also get five minutes for fighting! 9:34 would see more fighting; Devils' Paul Cotter and Brendan Smith would both get five more minutes for fighting. Then, seconds later, at 9:42, Sean Monahan and Cody Glass would each get two minutes for roughing each other. And that all equals 64 penalty minutes, 5th Line! And we still have a third period to play! The Devils would continue to lead shots on goal, winning this period 14-11.

The Blue Jackets have lost many leads and games in Period 3 this season, or in forced overtime by their opposition. Not tonight! Charlie Coyle would acquire the visitor's first lead of the evening with goal number four of his season at 6:40! Zack Werenski adds assist number seventeen to his season with the primary, while Miles Wood adds assist number three to his season. This goal would also give all three men a multipoint night on the road! Sean Monahan would follow up with goal number five of his season, his second tonight, at 7:14! Ivan Lundestrom gets the only assist on this goal, his third this season. The Devils would get a goal back, taking us to a one-goal lead at 11:51 after Timo Meier scored goal ten of his season with Cole Sillinger in the penalty box after slashing Luke Hughes. Jesper Bratt adds assist number 21 to his season with the primary, while teammate Nico Hischier adds his fifteenth on the secondary. But, with a final goal at 13:31 by Miles Wood, goal seven of his season, the Blue Jackets would close out this game with a 5-3 WIN! Charlie Coyle adds an assist fourteen to his season on this goal, and this would be the final assist of the game, too! The Devils would still win the shots on goal battle in every period, this final one being 9-6, but it's quality, not quantity. The final shots would be in favour of the Devils, 33-24, but the Blue Jackets come away with the 5-3 win and two huge points! 

This kind of win was a long time coming, but I knew this team had it in them. They found the solution in Period 3, even with the Devils scoring another goal and getting back to within one, they didn't let it faze them. They kept pushing and dismissed the Devils, doing so simultaneously. This team has the answers to fix their issues on the ice and continue growing into a stronger hockey team. Everyone, calm down, don't panic, and let this team work. After all, the NHL is their job!   

All the Stars of the Game tonight would be Blue Jackets! First, the Third Star of the Game, with two assists tonight, Zach Werenski! Fun fact, with his two points tonight, Zach Werenski is now 9-17-26 this season, making him a point-per-game per game player. 

Charlie Coyle, after a goal and two assists tonight, is your Second Star of the Game. Honestly, he's becoming a Blue Jackets star, period. 

And, with a two-goal night, your First Star of the Game is Sean Monahan! 

After a rough start, Elvis Merzlikins would finish with a win in net after he stopped 30 of the Devils' 33 shots on his visitors' net. This would give him a respectable .909 save percentage.   

Our next game is on Thursday night, and 5th Line, we're coming home! It will be a fun battle as the Red Wings come down from that state up north for a game at 7:30 p.m.! 

GO CBJ!