They dropped their fourth straight game while trying to keep pace in a tight playoff race for the second wild-card spot in the NHL’s Eastern Conference. "We played the right way," Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said.

While the New Jersey Devils are far away from clinching a playoff spot, but a win against the Blue Jackets makes it nearly impossible for teams to catch them.

Columbus will try to get back on the winning track Monday against New Jersey at Nationwide Arena. The Blue Jackets are now in fourth place in the wild-card race behind surging Ottawa (77 points), the Rangers (72) and Montreal (71) ahead of them in the fight for the conference's last two playoff spots.