NEXT | The Blue Jackets will be in Finland to play the Colorado Avalanche on Nov. 4 in the first of two games in the NHL Global Series.
NEWARK, N.J. — Fabian Sutherland scored late in the first, Niko Hischier and defenseman Ryan Graves scored 33 seconds apart early in the second and Vitek Wanecek made 19 saves for the NJ Devils Columbus Blue Jackets 7-1 on Sunday.
Defensemen John Marino and Jonas Siegenthaler, Jesper Bratt and Miles Wood also scored for New Jersey as Vanecek won its third straight.
The Devils outscored the Blue Jackets by 52 shots and won for the sixth time in seven games after two losses to start the season. Columbus lost its third straight.
Zetterlund opened the scoring with about seven minutes left in the first, rocketing a shot past Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins for his first of the season. Hischier provided the goal assist.
In the first match, the Devils dominated, beating the visitors 20-5. Hischier made it 2-0 at 3:22 of the second with an unassisted goal, giving him four goals and five assists in eight games this season.
Defenseman Ryan Graves scored his first goal of the season at 3:55 on assists from Jack Hughes and Brat.
That extended Brett’s season-opening hitting streak to nine games. And Hughes, who scored the lone goal in Friday’s 1-0 home win over the Colorado Avalanche, now has three goals and five assists.
Blue Jackets forward Yehor Chinakhov broke through for his second goal of the season at 6:39 of the second period.
Marino gave the home team a 4-1 lead with an unassisted goal — his first of the season and first for New Jersey — with 20 seconds left in the second. In the third period, Siegenthaler made it 5-1, Brat extended the lead to 6-1, and Wood finished the scoring.
Columbus is 3-7-0 to start the season, last in the Capital Division.
The crowd at Prudential Center booed Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau, a native of New Jersey who was undrafted by the Devils as a free agent last summer, every time he touched the puck.
Blue Jackets: Will play the Colorado Avalanche in Finland on Nov. 4 in the first of two games of the NHL Global Series.
