Devils drop 3rd straight

The Devils’ skid continues. Boone Jenner and Eric Robinson scored first-period goals, and Elvis Merzlikins made 37 saves — including 20 in the third period — as the Blue Jackets downed the Devils, 2-1, on Friday at the Prudential Center.

Columbus won for the second-straight time after a nine-game losing streak while the Devils lost their third in a row and for the sixth time in seven games.

“We’ve seen him since the beginning of the season. He’s been really good for us,” Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said of his winning netminder. “Elvis has been through a lot, and it’s good to see the team regrouping around him and playing the right way in front of him.”

The Devils and their league-best power-play had a chance to tie it at 12:58 of the second but generated little against Merzlikins.

New Jersey had another man-advantage opportunity when Columbus was assessed a bench minor at 3:26 of the third during which Merzlikins made acrobatic saves on both Jack Hughes and Luke Hughes.

“That was just a tough result,’’ Jack Hughes said. “We didn’t generate anything. We didn’t score. We didn’t execute.”

The Devils came out sluggishly against Columbus for the matinee start, generating just six shots in the first.

“I didn’t like our start,’’ Devils coach Lindy Ruff said. ”And I didn’t like that late first-period goal. Those are killers.”

Jenner opened the scoring at 10:04 with his 11th of the season. Johnny Gaudreau had the assist. Jenner has 14 points overall.

Devils forward Alexander Holtz tied it at 13:15 of the first, snapping a wrist shot past Merzlikins for his fifth goal of the campaign. Ondrej Palat drew the lone assist.

Columbus had a 4-minute power play late in the first period when Holtz was called for high-sticking, but the Devils snuffed it out.

Robinson followed that with his first goal and point of the season at 19:23, beating Devils netminder Akira Schmid on a breakaway.