NEWARK, New Jersey — Jesper Bratt scored a goal and an assist to extend his season-opening point streak to nine games for the New Jersey Devils in a 7-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Prudential Center on Sunday.
Nico Hischier had a goal and an assist, Jack Hughes got two assists and Vitek Vanecek made 20 saves for the Devils (6-3-0), who have won three in a row and six of their last seven.
“This win shows character,” said Hischier. “We beat a great team on Friday (1-0 against the Colorado Avalanche) and then we put it behind us. If we win, we can’t go too high, and if we lose, we can’t go too low. need to have this consistency. We came to play today, it was a fun game, every line played well, and [Columbus] didn’t have much.”
Video: CBJ@NJD: Bratt buries Hughes pass to lead the pad
Elvis Merzlikins made 46 saves for the Blue Jackets (3-7-0), who have lost three straight.
“Elvis fought until the end, but it was pretty ugly,” Columbus coach Brad Larsen said. “It was tough to watch. I own it. We have to get to the root of the problem, so it’s up to me. I have to prepare them better.”
Fabien Zetterlund gave the Devils a 1-0 lead on an instant shot from the slot at 17:10 of the first period.
Hischier made it 2-0 at 3:22 of the second period on a shot from the left faceoff circle. Ryan Graves scored 33 seconds later on a slap shot from the same spot to make it 3-0.
“I want to improve as a player every year, but for me, I just want to focus on my two-way game and help the team in any way I can,” said Hischier, who led all skaters. with eight shots on goal. “If it’s not on a score sheet, I try to help defensively.”
Video: CBJ@NJD: Hischier, Graves score 33 seconds apart
Yegor Chinakhov scored for Columbus to make it 3-1 at 6:39 of the second period with an instant shot from the top of the left circle.
John Marino made it 4-1 with a wrist shot from the right circle at 19:38.
“We’re committed to really playing our game and playing it quarter by quarter and that’s team play,” New Jersey coach Lindy Ruff said. “Everyone comes back and takes ice and time. I think our defense is heavily involved and if you’re not supporting them…that’s what went wrong last year a couple of times.”
Jonas Siegenthaler scored his first NHL power-play goal at 3:46 of the third period to make it 5-1, and Bratt scored at 12:47 for a 6-1 lead.
Bratt has four goals and 11 assists during his scoring streak. Only Tim Higgins (10 games, 1984-85) has the longest season opener with a point in Devils/Colorado Rockies/Kansas City Scouts history.
“Bratt scored some great goals and made some great plays,” Ruff said. “But I think what we have to rally around is our team play, not a single individual, not a goalkeeper. Let’s just rally around our team play and keep going. the front.”
Miles Wood scored at 14:47 for the final 7-1.
“We want to achieve something this year…that’s our goal,” Siegenthaler said. “We don’t want to sit down and be the ‘youngsters’ like last year. We want to prove everyone wrong and so far we’ve done that. But there’s still a lot of hockey left and we have to just making sure we stay consistent.”
Video: CBJ@NJD: Wood comes on strong and returns the puck home
Johnny Gaudreauwho signed a seven-year contract with the Blue Jackets on July 13, had a shot on goal and was minus-1.
“Teams go through these things and we have a good team here,” said Gaudreau, who was born in Salem, New Jersey. “It’s a low for us. We have to come together and fight through this.”
REMARKS: Columbus travels to Tampere, Finland on Sunday night and takes on the Colorado Avalanche on Friday and Saturday as part of the 2022 NHL World Series. … The Blue Jackets went 0-for-2 on the power play and are 0-for-25 for the season. …Devils ahead Ondrej Palat (lower body) will be reevaluated on Monday after missing his third straight game. He won’t join the Devils for their three-game road trip Tuesday against the Vancouver Canucks. … New Jersey honored Ken Daneyko before the game for his 40 seasons with the Devils (20 as a player; 20 as a broadcaster).
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