Overview
- The matchup in Columbus is the third of four this season, with the series split after a Devils win on Oct. 13 and a Blue Jackets win on Dec. 1.
- Columbus has won three straight, including a 4-1 road victory in Ottawa, and has closed to within two points of New Jersey in the standings.
- The Devils have dropped four in a row and finished December 4-9-1, with three shutout losses and seven consecutive games of three or fewer goals; their 103 season goals are fewest in the East.
- Recent meetings have been notably physical, with the previous game producing 74 combined penalty minutes, eight fighting majors and a game misconduct.
- Devils captain Nico Hischier fought Toronto’s Matthew Knies in an effort to energize his team, as coach Sheldon Keefe praised the gesture, while New Jersey continues to manage multiple injuries and 205 man-games lost.