Venue & Game Details
Location: Nationwide Arena, 200 W Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast: FanDuel Sports Network (Columbus), MSGSN (New Jersey), ESPN+
Radio: 97.1 The Fan (CBJ), Devils Radio Network
Team Records & Recent Form
New Jersey Devils (1-1-0): Opened with a 6–3 loss to Carolina but rebounded with a 5–2 win over Florida. Jack Hughes leads the way with 4 points, while Dougie Hamilton has anchored the blue line.
Columbus Blue Jackets (1-1-0): Dropped their opener to Nashville (2–1) but stormed back with a 7–4 win over Minnesota, highlighted by Kirill Marchenko’s hat trick and Elvis Merzlikins’ 48 saves.
Recent Form (last 5 games, including preseason):
Devils: W–L–L–W–W
Blue Jackets: W–L–W–L–L
Injury Report
Devils: Ondrej Palat (upper body) – day-to-day; Nico Hischier (maintenance) expected to play.
Blue Jackets: Patrik Laine (upper body) – out; Adam Boqvist (lower body) – day-to-day.
Key Player Matchups
Jack Hughes (NJD) vs. Boone Jenner (CBJ): Hughes’ speed and creativity against Jenner’s physical two-way game will be central to puck possession.
Jesper Bratt (NJD) vs. Kirill Marchenko (CBJ): Both wingers are coming off multi-point games and can swing momentum quickly.
Goaltending: Vitek Vanecek (NJD) vs. Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ). Vanecek has been steady, while Merzlikins is coming off a 48-save performance that stole the show in Minnesota.
Series History
2024–25 season series: Devils won 2 of 3 meetings, outscoring Columbus 11–7.
Recent trend: New Jersey has won 6 of the last 8 against Columbus, though the Jackets are 3-1-1 in their last 5 home openers.
Betting Trends
Devils games went Over 6.5 in 44 of 82 contests last season.
Blue Jackets games went Over in 46 of 82 contests.
Columbus is 5-2 in its last 7 home games dating back to last season.
New Jersey is 7-3 in its last 10 vs. Columbus.
Score Projection: Devils 5 – Blue Jackets 3
Game Odds
New Jersey Devils – 130
Columbus Blue Jackets 5.5
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Sunday, October 12, 2025
