Blue Jackets break losing streak with comeback win over Devils

Sean Monahan tallied twice and Charlie Coyle scored once in a three-point game to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 comeback victory over the New Jersey Devils Monday night in Newark, N.J.

Miles Wood notched one goal and one assist while Denton Mateychuk added a goal for the Blue Jackets, who snapped a four-game winless skid. Zach Werenski collected a pair of assists.

Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves in a strong outing after surrendering a pair of early goals.

Nico Hischier netted one goal and one assist while Ondrej Palat and Timo Meier added goals for the Devils. Jesper Bratt had two assists.

Goalie Jake Allen stopped 19 shots for the Devils.

After the visitors fell behind by a pair, Mateychuk put Columbus on the board just before the midway point of the opening frame with a power-play goal thanks to a nifty redirect.

Monahan tied the game 88 seconds into the second period, finishing a chance from the doorstep after he knocked a loose puck out of the air to help him get behind the defender.

The Blue Jackets broke the game open with a pair of goals 34 seconds apart early in the third period.

Coyle gave Columbus its first lead at 6:40 by pouncing on a long rebound for his first goal in nine outings.

Soon after, Monahan notched his second of the game with a quick release shot from the bottom of the right circle to make it a 4-2 affair.

Meier made it a one-goal game thanks to a power-play goal with 8:09 remaining in regulation.

However, Wood responded soon after with a tap-in tally set up by Coyle's steal of an Allen pass attempt from deep in the Devils zone to round out the scoring.

The Devils staked a two-goal lead thanks to a pair of goals on successive shots. Hischier's power-play goal opened the scoring 86 seconds into the game and Palat doubled the lead at 3:03 by burying an open chance deep in the zone.

It was a spirited affair which boasted four fights in the second period alone, with the temperature rising significantly after New Jersey's Brenden Dillon -- who played his 1,000th game -- went to the dressing room after landing on his face during a tussle with Dmitri Voronkov. Dillon returned to the game before the intermission but did not play in the third period.

--Field Level Media