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Columbus Blue Jackets Shut Out Devils 3-0

Originally posted on Inside The Rink | By Genevive Oliver | Last updated Feb 4, 2026 2:16 PM ET

The Devils’ return to the Prudential Center on Tuesday didn’t go as planned, as they were unable to find the offensive spark needed to bounce back from Saturday’s loss in Ottawa. Despite a determined effort to reset on home ice, New Jersey was stymied by a red-hot Columbus squad in a 3-0 shutout loss, leaving Jacob Markstrom to fend for himself against a relentless Blue Jackets attack that has now secured six straight victories. Elvis Merzlikins stopped all 24 shots he faced to keep the Devils off the board, while Mathieu Olivier netted two goals and Dante Fabbro added another to seal the result. It was a frustrating outcome for the Devils, but they’ll have an opportunity to turn the page as they’ll be hosting the New York Islanders on Thursday, while the Blue Jackets head back to Columbus to host the Blackhawks on Wednesday.

Columbus Blue Jackets Lineup:

Marchment – Fantilli – Lundestrom
Voronkov – Monahan – Johnson
Sillinger – Coyle – Olivier
Heinen – Jenner – Wood

Werenski – Severson
Provorov – Mateychuk
Fabbro – Gudbranson

Merzlikins

New Jersey Devils Lineup:

Meier – Glass – Brown
Gritsyuk – Hischier – Hameenaho
Bratt – Cotter – Mercer
Lammikko – Glendening – Tsyplakov

Siegenthaler – Kovacevic
Pesce – Hamilton
Dillon – Nemec

Markstrom
Allen

After a scoreless 40 minutes, Dante Fabbro opened the scoring to get the Blue Jackets on the board 1-0 at 14:36 for his fourth goal of the season when Jonas Siegenthaler tried to get the rebound of a shot by the opposing team to a Devils’ player, but Fabbro got a hold of the puck from the top of the right face-off circle and fired on a snap shot through a screen past Jacob Markstrom. Fabbro had previously missed his past six games due to a lower-body injury. Mathieu Olivier made it 2-0 for Columbus at 7:57 of the third period when he scored on a backhand off a breakaway, picking up his seventh goal of the season. With little time remaining, Charlie Coyle dived to get the puck out of the Blue Jackets’ zone, and Olivier picked up the puck to put it in the empty net, but was slashed by Dougie Hamilton. Olivier was then credited with his second goal of the night for the 3-0 final.

Jonas Siegenthaler on how disappointing a loss like this is, and if it’s tough in moments like these, not feeling a sense of urgency knowing what’s at stake, and Jacob Markstrom: “It is disappointing. Especially when I would say we played a pretty good 50 minutes, and then they scored the first one, and we just kind of stopped playing. I think we just gotta know that a game requires 60 minutes. Even though you’re down a goal, I think 10 minutes to score a goal is enough.” – “Yeah, we know the situation. We just have to win. I think that’s the only option, and it’s not easy to win in this league, but I think we showed earlier this season that we’re able to win a couple of games in a row. We just gotta find it somehow. …He played great. He had a couple of big saves. It wasn’t on him.”

Game Notes:

– In the first period, it appeared the Blue Jackets took a 1-0 lead when Danton Heinen struck from the right face-off circle, but the Devils successfully challenged the play for goaltender interference in the crease on Miles Wood.

– Jacob Markstrom made a total of 22 saves for New Jersey.

– The Devils are 28-26-2, and they have lost four of their past five games.

– For Elvis Merzlikins, this was his 12th career shutout, and ties Marc Denis for the third most in Blue Jackets history. This was his first shutout of the season, his second shutout against the Devils, and his first since October 30th, 2024 (2-0 against New York Islanders).

– Through two periods, Merzlikins made 17 saves, denying Timo Meier on a snap shot off a spin-o-rama from the slot in the middle frame. The Blue Jackets were 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

– The Blue Jackets are 28-20-7, and since Rick Bowness took over as coach on January 12th, they are 9-1-0.

– The Blue Jackets have nine wins when scoring first since the New Year, tying with the Tampa Bay Lightning for the second most among all teams behind the Pittsburgh Penguins (10).

– Dante Fabbro’s goal was the 42nd by a Columbus defenseman this season, passing 2016-17 (41) for the fifth most in a single season in franchise history. The only campaigns with more are 2024-25 (51), 2021-22 (43), and 2014-15 (43).

– With his assist, Zach Werenski recorded his fourth career five-game assist streak. He ties Rick Nash for the most in Blue Jackets history. …Recording his assist on their third goal, Werenski (19-42–61) surpassed both Evan Bouchard (60 in 2025-16) and Mike Green (60 in 2009-10) for the most points by a defenseman before an Olympic break.

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This article first appeared on Inside The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

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