NEWARK, N.J. — The Columbus Blue Jackets needed their best player to step up with the playoffs starting to slip away, and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky didn't disappoint.
Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots and made a couple of big third-period saves to preserve the lead as the Blue Jackets snapped a three-game losing streak and ended the New Jersey Devils' four-game winning streak with a 2-1 decision on Tuesday night.
"He played really well, especially in the second period where we turned some pucks over and didn't give ourselves a chance to forecheck," Columbus coach John Tortorella said after the Blue Jackets won for only fifth time since Jan. 18. "He made some key saves there. He's a good goalie and we all know that. He certainly was a big part of it tonight."
Bobrovsky made a key stop on a wrist shot by
"Bob's always our best player," said
The win allowed the Blue Jackets to move into the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference with 65 points, one ahead of Carolina and the Islanders.
"It was a tight game," Bobrovsky said. "It was two defensive teams against each other. It's all about the points."
Taylor Hall scored for the Devils to extend his point-scoring streak to 12 games, tying David Pastrnak of the Bruins for the league-high this season. He also pushed his personal point-scoring streak to 19 games. He missed three games with a thumb injury so the league does not consider that to be part of his current run.
"I thought we played well enough to win the game; that's a team that's been getting 45-50 shots a game and we held them to 19," Hall said. "I thought we did a pretty good job for a lot of the game, so it's just one of those games that could have gone either way."
Keith Kinkaid had 17 saves for New Jersey, which holds the first wild-card spot in the conference.
Harrington, who has three career goals, has scored both of his goals this season at Prudential Center. The go-ahead goal was set up by Artemi Panarin, who found the 24-year-old coming late on a rush. Harrington's shot from above the left circle beat Kinkaid to the low corner.
"He made a good shot but I have to make sure I get out a little farther," Kinkaid said. "It was a bit out of the reach of my glove and it skimmed the top of my pad. It was a good shot but I'd like to make that save."
Jenner gave the Blue Jackets the lead 5:19 after the opening faceoff. Werenski had a shot off the goalpost, but Jenner knocked the rebound into an open net.
Hall tied the game early in the second period with a length-of-the-ice rush after collecting a loose puck along the boards in the Devils' zone. The left wing got to the right circle in the Columbus zone and caught Bobrovsky cheating to play a cross-ice pass. His shot slipped between the goaltender and the goalpost for his 25th goal of the season.
NOTES: Injured Devils G Cory Schneider (groin-hip) skated for a second straight day. ... Hall has a point in every game he has played since the turn of the year. ... Columbus won the season series 3-1. ... The Blue Jackets are 18-2-2 when leading after two periods, and 7-1 in last eight games at the Prudential Center. Devils C Nico Hischier had his four-game goal scoring streak snapped.
UP NEXT
Blue Jackets: Play the Flyers in Philadelphia on Thursday night.
Devils: Host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night.
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Tom Canavan, The Associated Press