Early look The full preview opens on Tuesday 23 February, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

New Jersey Devils at Columbus Blue Jackets: game preview

Puck drop26 Feb · 7:00 PM ET
VenueNationwide Arena
All-time meetings59 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Five points apart last season

New Jersey finished last season 21st in the league on 87 points. Columbus finished 17th on 92, and the 2025-26 season series went NJD 2-2-0.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 60

Across 59 completed games, Columbus lead the head-to-head 33-23-3.

All-time record33-23-3Columbus's record in the series
Meetings played59This is number 60
2025-26 seriesNJD 2-2-0
Last 53-2New Jersey
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
3 Feb 2026CBJ 3 – NJD 0——CBJ
31 Dec 2025NJD 3 – CBJ 2——NJD
1 Dec 2025CBJ 5 – NJD 3——CBJ
13 Oct 2025NJD 3 – CBJ 2——NJD
17 Mar 2025NJD 2 – CBJ 1——NJD
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateNew JerseyColumbus
13 Oct 20252-1-0 · 4 pts11th1-2-0 · 2 pts24th
1 Dec 202516-9-1 · 33 pts6th12-9-5 · 29 pts16th
31 Dec 202521-17-2 · 44 pts16th17-16-6 · 40 pts25th
3 Feb 202627-23-2 · 56 pts20th24-20-7 · 55 pts24th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 13 Oct 2025, New Jersey were 11th in the league and Columbus 24th. By 3 Feb 2026 it was 20th and 24th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Columbus out-attempted New Jersey 234 to 227

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

New Jersey Devils

227 att · 118 on goal · 9 G · 7.6%
Crease17 att · 0 G
Slot80 att · 5 G
Wing89 att · 3 G
Point33 att · 0 G
Neutral zone8 att · 1 G

Columbus Blue Jackets

234 att · 119 on goal · 12 G · 10.1%
Crease11 att · 1 G
Slot90 att · 10 G
Wing84 att · 1 G
Point44 att · 0 G
Neutral zone5 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

New Jersey have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

New JerseyColumbus
3.52xG for per game2.43
3.01xG against per game2.78
53.9%xG share46.7%
−4.5FinishingGoals minus expected goals+2.1
−4.0GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed−1.4

This season: 3 games for New Jersey, 2 for Columbus. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

New Jersey

Small sample
Power play · 2026-277.1%
Power play · 2025-2622.0% · 13th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2762.5%
Penalty kill · 2025-2679.3% · 17th
Faceoffs · 2026-2747.5% · 87/183
Drawn · 2026-2714 (4.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
86Jack Hughes31120.67
63Jesper Bratt30220.67
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
43Luke Hughes31010.33
47Declan Chisholm30110.33
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 23 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 22 Feb: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

New Jersey crease

NJD · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Feb

Jake Allen.8752 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.7
Nico Daws.8131 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx −2.5

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 23 Feb

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against New Jersey in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.1 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

3 Feb 20263 · CBJ 3–0 NJD
31 Dec 20255 · NJD 3–2 CBJ
1 Dec 20258 · CBJ 5–3 NJD
13 Oct 20255 · NJD 3–2 CBJ
17 Mar 20253 · NJD 2–1 CBJ

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
New Jersey2.004.332.803.10
Columbus3.503.503.093.09

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.1Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings4.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

5 on the injury lists

New Jersey · injuries

Connor BrownLower BodyOutReturn12 Oct
Johnathan KovacevicKneeIRReturn10 Oct
Jonas SiegenthalerUndisclosedDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Nick BjugstadPectoralIRReturn19 Jan
Seamus CaseyKneeIRReturn21 Nov

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers.

27 Sep · NJD

Claimed LW Jeremie Poirier off waivers. Placed C/RW Marc McLaughlin, LD Vladislav Kolyachonok, G David Rittich, LW Riley Tufte, LD Topias Vilen, and C/RW Colin White on waivers.

25 Sep · NJD

Assigned Ds Mikael Diotte, Ethan Edwards, Jeremy Hanzel, Etienne Morin and Anton Silaev, Fs Josh Filmon, Lenni Hameenaho, Shane Lachance, Matyas Melovsky, Xavier Parent, Cam Squires and Ben Steeves and G Jakub Malek to Utica (AHL). Waived for the purpose of assignment to Utica Ds DJ King, Charles Leddy and Eamon Powell, Fs Tristan Ashbrook, Zachary Gallant, Gabe Klassen, Jack Malone, Justin Pearson, Ryan Schmelzer, Cristophe Tellier and Jermey Wilmer and Gs Jeremy Brodeur and Seth Eisele.

6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

Injury report
#12Alexander CommandRound 1 · Orebro Jr.C
#37Matias VanhanenRound 2 · EverettLW
#44Nikita ShcherbakovRound 2 · Ufa Jr.D
#119Lavr GashilovRound 4 · Yekaterinburg Jr.C
Full draft
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft

Updated after every final