National Hockey League
New Jersey 4, Columbus 3
When: 6:00 PM ET, Sunday, February 16, 2020
Where: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Referees: Ghislain Hebert, Wes McCauley
Linesmen: Darren Gibbs, James Tobias
Attendance: 16514

Jesper Bratt scored in the seventh round of the shootout Sunday night for the host New Jersey Devils, who capped a hectic day by coming back from a two-goal deficit to outlast the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-3.

The Devils, who entered Sunday with the fourth-fewest points in the NHL, traded captain Andy Greene to the New York Islanders a couple of hours before faceoff and dealt center Blake Coleman to the Tampa Bay Lightning during the game.

New Jersey acquired minor league defenseman David Quenneville and a 2021 second-round pick from the Islanders in exchange for Greene, who spent his first 14 NHL seasons with the Devils. Coleman, whose 21 goals entering Sunday tied him for the team lead with Kyle Palmieri, was dealt in exchange for minor league left wing Nolan Foote and a provisional 2020 first-round pick.

Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley and Palmieri all scored in the second period for the Devils, while goalie Mackenzie Blackwood made a career-high 52 saves. The 55 shots against were the most surrendered by New Jersey since the St. Louis Blues racked up 57 shots in a 6-5 overtime win on March 10, 1984.

Andrew Peeke and Zach Werenski scored in the first period for the Blue Jackets. Kevin Stenlund tied the game in the third period for Columbus, which suffered its fifth straight loss (0-2-3) but moved into a tie with the Islanders for third place in the Metropolitan Division. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins recorded 23 saves.

Peeke scored his first NHL goal 2:28 after faceoff for the Blue Jackets, who doubled the lead on Werenski's goal at 6:19 before the Devils took the lead by scoring three times in a span of a little more than 10 minutes in the second period.

Anderson made it 2-1 at 1:20, when he capped an end-to-end rush by firing a shot into the far right corner of the net. Merkley then scored his first career goal by putting back the rebound of a shot by Kevin Rooney at the 3:51 mark. Palmieri's 22nd goal of the season put New Jersey ahead with 8:05 left in the second.

Stenlund evened the score by beating Blackwood from point-blank range 8:45 into the third.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Columbus   New Jersey
Andrew Peeke 1 Points Joey Anderson 2
Andrew Peeke 1 Goals Joey Anderson 1
Oliver Bjorkstrand 1 Assists Kevin Rooney 2
N/A Power Play Goals N/A
N/A Short Handed Goals N/A
Elvis Merzlikins .885 Save Percentage Mackenzie Blackwood .945
Elvis Merzlikins 23 Saves Mackenzie Blackwood 52
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Shots Goals Power Play Penalty Kill Penalty Mins Face Offs Won
Columbus 55 3 0-2 0-0 0 31
New Jersey 26 4 0-0 2-2 4 26
Upcoming Games
  • New Jersey will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Devils have a W/L % of .364 after a win and .389 after a loss.
  • Columbus will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Blue Jackets have a W/L % of .567 after a win and .433 after a loss.