Taking three days off for NHL’s holiday break didn’t do anything for the Blue Jackets’ fortunes while leading late. 

Another strong effort during a challenging travel day slipped away Wednesday night at Prudential Center, adding two more blown leads late in the third period in the Jackets’ 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. Despite building leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 in the game, the Jackets again couldn’t make any of them stand up and lost the final two in the last 4:09 of regulation.

Dawson Mercer scored the Devils’ first tying goal at 15:51 of the third to make it 2-2, punishing the Blue Jackets (11-18-7) for a turnover off an intercepted pass. Speedy rookie defenseman Luke Hughes then went coast-to-coast, skating through all five Columbus skaters to tie it 3-3 with 1:25 left, rewarding his team for pulling goalie Vitek Vanacek 20 seconds earlier for an extra attacker.

Hughes’ goal countered Yegor Chinakhov’s go-ahead goal that put Columbus up 3-2 just 61 seconds earlier. 

“That kid (Hughes) was skating, and he was coming in hot,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. “We got caught in (a line) change, so it left a hole open in the neutral zone and they took advantage of it.” 

Jake Bean and Justin Danforth scored the Jackets’ first two goals. Elvis Merzlikins allowed four goals on 35 shots to take the loss in net. Adding further salt into the Jackets’ collective wounds was an apparent left leg injury sustained by star defenseman Zach Werenski in the second period.

Here are four takeaways:

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski facing another possible long-term injury

After missing all but 13 games last season and missing two more early this season, Zach Werenski might be sidelined again for an extended period of time. 

After breaking up a shot by New Jersey’s Ondrej Palat near the midpoint of the second period, Werenski tripping over the Devils forward and fell awkwardly. He appeared to twist his left knee during the fall and couldn’t put weight on his left leg leaving the ice.

Should Werenski miss more than a few games, it will be another huge injury loss for the Blue Jackets – who are already without captain Boone Jenner (fractured jaw), star forward Patrik Laine (fractured collarbone), defenseman Adam Boqvist (shoulder sprain), defenseman Nick Blankenburg (upper body) and forward Jack Roslovic (fractured ankle).

Roslovic skated with the team Wednesday in Columbus and is expected to return for one of the Jackets’ two games this weekend in a back-to-back set against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres. 

Werenski was alternating shifts playing with rookie David Jiricek and veteran Erik Gudbranson on the top defense pairing. Without him, the remaining five defensemen rotated shifts among each other. Andrew Peeke, a healthy scratch against the Devils, will likely return to action Friday against Toronto.

Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Damon Severson gets his ‘Welcome back’ montage against New Jersey Devils

Severson was out with an oblique injury the first two times the Blue Jackets played the Devils, so Wednesday night was his first time facing his former team. 

At the first TV break in the first period, the veteran defenseman was welcomed back to New Jersey with a nice video montage of memories with the Devils, the team that selected him in the second round (60^th overall) of the 2012 NHL draft. Severson’s wife, Drey, also made the trip to visit with longtime friends and take in a special evening for both of them.

“It’s exciting,” Severson said. “This is all she’s ever known, and she was the veteran wife on the team, per se. Now to get a chance to come back and see some of her old friends and watch me play my first game back, it’s exciting. I don’t think it’s going to be a regular thing, but we’re going to try to enjoy this one for sure, and have it be a memorable one.” 

One of Severson’s memories from his first game at everson’s memories from his first game at Prudential Center as a visitor was the Jackets’ arrival. After nine seasons of heading to the Devils’ locker room, located on the opposite side of the arena, he felt a little lost getting off the bus. 

“Honestly, I walked in behind a lot of (teammates) because they knew where they were going and I didn’t know where I was going,” he said. “So, I was like, ‘Alright, I’ll just follow you guys.’”

Justin Danforth continues to shine on Columbus Blue Jackets’ top line

Danforth’s goal was his second in as many games and ninth of the season, putting him on pace to score 20 goals if he plays in all 82 games. 

That’s a milestone that every NHL player sets out to reach every season and is a benchmark that comes with widespread respect for those who score that many or exceed it. It’d be especially memorable for Danforth, a 30-year old forward who missed almost all of last season with a torn shoulder labrum. He also took a long, winding path just to get to the NHL in 2021-22 with the Blue Jackets at age 27. 

It’s still just 36 games into the season, but Danforth is taking advantage of an opportunity to play on the Jackets’ top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Adam Fantilli. 

“A 20-goal pace is kind of what most guys are looking for,” Danforth said. “Obviously, it’d be an achievement, but I just have to continue what I’m doing.”

Columbus Blue Jackets scare New Jersey Devils despite travel challenges

The NHL’s holiday break created a challenging travel day for the Blue Jackets, who held their morning skate in Columbus, 90 minutes earlier than they would for a home gamer a home game, and then flew to Newark, New Jersey. 

After getting to their hotel early afternoon, there was just enough time for players to nap before hopping back on the bus late afternoon and heading to the game. For players who traveled home to celebrate the holiday with friends and family, all of that followed their individual trip back to Columbus. The same-day travel was necessitated by the NHL’s mandated three-day off period, which precludes teams from traveling on any of the days. 

“We said that this morning, that it feels like the schedule of the morning of a preseason game … but it’s not,” Vincent said. “It matters. That one matters. Is it hard? I mean, we’re so fortunate to travel the way we do. We had a short 15-minute skate this morning, came here, guys had a nap. After three days off, we’re excited to be back.” 

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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