Blue Jackets' Merzlikins shine in win over Devils – Hockey Writers – Columbus Blue Jackets

The Columbus Blue Jackets needed a better start if they hoped to beat the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. Thanks to the unreal performance of Elvis Merzlikins, they did just that.

Sean Monahan made a mistake scoring two goals and Kirill Marchenko added two assists to help the Blue Jackets to a 4-2 win over the Devils. The story of this game was Merzlikins' game that thwarted Jack Hughes' epic effort.

Recap of the game

The Blue Jackets were able to score first to help settle the score. Zach Aston-Reese's good play helped create scoring chances and rebounds. Ivan Provorov jumped and converted the rebound to make it 1-0. This goal seemed to help settle the team down.

There were no penalties on either side and it was a slow first period as the Devils outshot the Blue Jackets 7-6. The second half was often one of the Devils' best and the Blue Jackets' worst. It was the Blue Jackets who defeated the Devils 2-0 in the middle of the frame.

In a power play, Zach Werenski scored his 11th goal of the season. That was his 334th NHL point, tying Nick Foligno for fourth on the Blue Jackets' all-time scoring list.

The lead then extended to 3-0 thanks to Monahan. He was in front of Devils goalie Jake Allen. A tower came to him, and he roofed it. From there, Merzlikins stole the show.

Jack Hughes finished with 13 goals, one shy of the Devils' franchise record. He couldn't beat Merzlikins in any of them. This includes keeping 10 less instruments.

Luke Hughes finished the night with six shots and finally managed to beat Merzlikins with Allen pulled. There was only 2:50 left in the game. The puck went to Luke after two bounces and it took an open net for the finish.

Then 1:25 later, Jack's shot was deflected by Timo Meier to pull the Devils within one. The Devils took some time after retaining their top stars. This ended up helping the Blue Jackets keep the best there again. It also gave Merzlikins a much-needed breather.

Monahan was then able to score her second of the game into an empty net to make the final score 4-2. Cole Sillinger distracted Jack Hughes enough to create a turnover and an insurance goal.

The Devils beat the Blue Jackets 42-20 last night. Merzlikins finished with 40 saves. During that time, Allen finished with 16 saves on 19 shots.

The Blue Jackets next play Saturday night at Philadelphia. The Devils head home to play the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.