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Devils, Jackets Finale has Playoff Repurcusions | PREVIEW | New Jersey Devils
THE SCOOP
The Devils had their three-game winning streak snapped in Pittsburgh, but are still in solid position in the No. 3 spot in the Metro Division with 14 games remaining in the regular season. The Devils have a 6-point lead (78-72) on the NY Rangers for that final spot. They also have an 8-point lead on Columbus.
The Devils will be without superstar Jack Hughes for the rest of the year. He underwent shoulder surgery and is expected to make a full recovery for next season’s training camp. The Devils are also missing No. 1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton and top-4 blueliner Jonas Siegenthaler. Both have been ruled out for the remainder of the regular season.
Jesper Bratt has picked up the offense in Hughes’ absence, leading the club with 60 assists and 79 points. He’s set to record another point-per-game season. Bratt’s 60 assists are tied for the most ever by a Devils player in a single season (Scott Stevens, 1993-94). Captain Nico Hischier is currently leading the team in goals with 28. While Bratt, Stefan Noesen and Timo Meier (19) are all inching closer to 20-goal seasons.
The Blue Jackets have lost three straight games, being shutout in the past two, including a 4-0 setback to the NY Rangers on Saturday that dropped Columbus out of a playoff spot in the Wild Card chase. Columbus has lost 5 of its last 6 games overall.
Stud blueliner Zach Werenski leads the team in assists (49) and points (69). Only Colorado’s Cale Makar (25) has more goals in the NHL this season for a defenseman than Werenski’s 20. The Jackets have five 20-goal scorers in their lineup with Kirill Marchenko (25), Adam Fantilli (21), Kent Johnson (21), Werenski (20) and Dmitri Voronkov (20).
One are of their game that is lacking is special teams where the power play (23rd, 19.4%) and the penalty kill (25th, 75.4%) are both among the worst performers in the NHL.
WHO’S HOT
Devils: Jesper Bratt has nine points (2g-7a) in his past three games. He’s recorded three straight three-point games.
Blue Jackets: Adam Fantilli, the third-overall pick in 2023, posted a hat trick in a 7-3 win at the NY Rangers on March 8. He has points in seven of his last 10 games for 10 points (6g-4a).
INJURIES
Devils: J.Hughes (shoulder, LTIR), Siegenthaler (undisclosed, LTIR), Hamilton (undisclosed, week-to-week)
Blue Jackets: Gudbranson (shoulder, IR), Monahan (upper-body, IR), Lebanc (shoulder, IR), Sillinger (upper-body, IR)
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS