Hughes Leads Devils to Comeback Win Over Blue Jackets.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Luke Hughes scored the go-ahead goal 4:45 into the third period, sparking the New Jersey Devils to a 3-2 comeback victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday night. Hughes also recorded an assist, marking his 28th multi-point game and tying Rob Ramage for the most by a defenseman under 23 in franchise history. Hughes’ goal came on a shot from the slot that gave the Devils the lead. Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk also scored for New Jersey, which had trailed 2-0 entering the final period. This marked the Devils’ first win of the season when trailing after two periods and their first multi-goal comeback since Nov. 29, 2024, against Detroit. Goalie Jake Allen made 34 saves, including a key stop on Kirill Marchenko’s one-timer late in the third period. The three goals scored in 1:56 represented the fastest such stretch for New Jersey since Feb. 6, 2023, when the team scored three goals in 50 seconds against Vancouver. For Columbus, Mason Marchment scored in the first period, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a point in his first five games with the team. He now has four goals and six points since joining the Blue Jackets from Seattle on Dec. 19. Jake Coyle added Columbus’ other goal, assisted by Boone Jenner, who became the fourth player in team history to reach 400 career points. Goalie Jet Greaves made 30 saves as the Blue Jackets’ two-game winning streak came to an end.

Early in the third period, four seconds after Marchenko was penalized for hooking, Hischier tipped Hughes’ point shot into the net at 2:49, and Gritsyuk tied the game 55 seconds later with a snap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle following a rush led by Meier.

The Devils will next host the Utah team on Saturday, while the Blue Jackets will host Buffalo on the same day.