The Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils will miss the playoffs, though they are headed in opposite directions as the season winds down.
The Blue Jackets are surging with six wins in a row and can hand the visiting Devils a season-worst sixth straight defeat Tuesday night.
Columbus (36-35-4) enjoyed a tremendous weekend by winning 5-2 at Chicago on Friday and 4-2 at St. Louis the next night.
"It's a good job by the guys," coach Todd Richards said. "Six periods of, I think, hard hockey where they put it on the line. We weren't perfect, but the compete is there and that's what you want. It leads to the resiliency and finding ways to win hockey games."
Cam Atkinson has seven points in the last three games, Ryan Johansen has nine in a seven-game streak and Scott Hartnell has a league-high 11 goals in March.
"I'm proud of the way the guys have played the last couple of weeks and how we're playing for each other," Johansen told the Blue Jackets' official website. "But it's important that we keep taking steps forward over the last seven games as individuals and as a team."
Columbus begins a three-game stretch at home, where it has dropped six of eight overall and five in a row to Eastern Conference opponents.
The Blue Jackets' surge has moved them two points ahead of the Devils, who have been outscored 14-5 in an 0-4-1 stretch. New Jersey fell 3-1 at Carolina on Saturday and 2-1 at home to Anaheim the next day.
The Devils (31-33-12) are near the bottom of the league with 2.16 goals per game.
"You have to have everything," center Patrik Elias said. "You have to have skill, guys that will do the dirty job, get those pucks in the corner or guys that are good around the net. I think we have a mixture of that. But do we have a pure sniper here? I don't think so."
Adam Henrique, who leads the Devils with 40 points, has matched his worst stretch of the season with none in his last five games.
New Jersey has captured two of three from Columbus by holding Atkinson, Johansen and Hartnell without a point. These clubs totaled 12 goals in those games.
Sergei Bobrovsky started one matchup with 21 saves in a 3-2 road win March 6. He will start Tuesday after posting a 2.17 goals-against average in winning his last five starts.
New Jersey will likely turn to Cory Schneider, who has posted a 1.68 GAA while starting every game of the season series. Schneider is 9-2-1 with a 1.82 GAA in 12 starts against the Blue Jackets.
Columbus center Alexander Wennberg has been cleared to return after missing the last four games with a hand infection. Winger Matt Calvert is also ready to come back from a 15-game absence due to a concussion.
Blue Jackets forward Jared Boll is serving the final contest of a three-game suspension for a check to the head of Anaheim's Patrick Maroon.
