Elvis Merzlikins made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and Mathieu Olivier scored two goals in the Columbus Blue Jackets’ 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday in Newark, N.J.

The Blue Jackets extended their season-high winning streak to six games. Columbus is 10-1-0 in its past 11 games and has won five straight away games after completing a 3-0-0 road trip on Tuesday.

Merzlikins earn his 12th career shutout while improving to 11-8-1 on the season. After some early struggles, Merzlikins has played better during the Jackets’ hot streak, splitting starts with Jet Greaves.

Olivier’s two goals and Dante Fabbro’s go-ahead goal all came during a commanding third period for the Blue Jackets, who outshot New Jersey 13-7 in the final frame.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 of 25 shots for the Devils, who are 1-4-0 in their past five games.

Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk each hit the post in the third period as New Jersey took its sixth shutout loss. The Devils have scored only 142 times this season, tied for the third-fewest goals of any team in the NHL.

A would-be goal from the Blue Jackets’ Danton Heinen 5:10 into the first period was nullified after the Devils made a successful goalie-interference challenge. That was as close as either team came to scoring over the first 45 minutes, in part due to solid goaltending at both ends.

Columbus finally broke the deadlock 5:24 into the third period, as Fabbro’s shot from outside the circle beat a screened Markstrom. Fabbro was making his return to the lineup after a foot laceration kept him out of the previous six games.

Olivier extended the lead at the 12:05 mark as the Jackets took advantage of a sloppy New Jersey line change. Cole Sillinger’s pass found a wide-open Olivier, who converted a slick backhanded shot.

Markstrom was pulled with just under five minutes remaining in the third period, but it was the Blue Jackets who took advantage while down 6-on-5. At the 16:00 minute mark, Dougie Hamilton slashed Olivier when the Jackets forward was approaching the empty net, and Olivier was awarded an automatic goal.

–Field Level Media

Cade Cunningham had 29 points and 10 assists as the host Detroit Pistons held off the Denver Nuggets 124-121 on Tuesday night.

Duncan Robinson scored 20 points and Jalen Duren supplied 19 points and 13 rebounds in a game the Pistons never trailed. Detroit was coming off a 53-point victory over Brooklyn on Sunday, the largest margin in franchise history.

Tobias Harris contributed 11 points and six rebounds, including a key 3-pointer late. Isaiah Stewart chipped in 11 points with six rebounds, while Ausar Thompson had 10 points and six rebounds.

Jamal Murray led Denver with 32 points and eight assists. Nikola Jokic had 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Peyton Watson had 17 points and Julian Strawther added 15.

Jonas Valanciunas had 11 points with 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, but the Pistons clinched the two-game season series. They won in Denver 109-107 a week earlier.

During a chippy first half, the Pistons pulled away to a 69-50 halftime lead. There were five technicals and a flagrant foul assessed during the first two quarters.

Cunningham led the way with 17 points and seven assists and backcourt partner Robinson tossed in 14 points. Murray led the Nuggets with 14 points and five assists.

The Pistons finished the half on a 10-0 run. Cunningham assisted on a Thompson basket, then drilled a 3-pointer. A steal and fast break dunk by Thompson, followed by another Cunningham 3-pointer, closed out the half.

The lead increased to 20 when Thompson made a layup two minutes into the third quarter. Late in the quarter, Denver had a 7-0 spurt — capped by a Murray layup — to pull within 11. Detroit’s lead was 93-80 heading into the fourth.

Jokic hit a 3-pointer to cut the Pistons’ lead to 98-89. After the Nuggets pulled within eight, Robinson hit a 3-pointer with 4:10 left.

The Nuggets refused to fold, as a 9-0 surge capped by a Murray 3-pointer cut Detroit’s advantage to 112-110. Harris answered with a 3-pointer to give the Pistons some breathing room. The Nuggets never got closer than three points the rest of the way.

–Field Level Media

Jamie Drysdale scored a power-play goal with 5:23 remaining as the Philadelphia Flyers topped the visiting Washington Capitals 4-2 on Tuesday.

Dan Vladar (26 saves) authored a terrific performance to help Philadelphia snap a four-game losing streak. Owen Tippett, Carl Grundstrom and Rasmus Ristolainen also scored for the Flyers, while Travis Konecny picked up two assists.

Anthony Beauvillier notched a goal and an assist for Washington, which came in on a three-game winning streak. Aliaksei Protas also scored for the Capitals, while Clay Stevenson turned aside 18 shots.

With the game tied at 2-2 with under six minutes left, Trevor Zegras won a puck battle in the corner and sent a pass back to Drysdale near the blue line. Stevenson got a piece of Drysdale’s blast, but the puck still found the back of the net.

Vladar made a key save on Alex Ovechkin with about 1:30 remaining to preserve the lead. Washington pressured a bit thereafter before Ristolainen clinched it with a long-distance empty-netter with 16.8 seconds to go.

The Flyers opened the scoring about six minutes into the game, following a nice passing sequence. Matvei Michkov made a cross-ice pass to the left point to Travis Sanheim, who promptly sent a diagonal feed to Tippett. The Philadelphia winger deked to his backhand and slipped one past Stevenson.

Both teams scored in the first half of the second period. Grundstrom made it 2-0 when his centering pass caromed off two Capitals players and into the net.

However, Washington responded with a short-handed goal less than four minutes later. Protas, playing in his 300th NHL game, rammed home his 19th of the season on a 2-on-1 feed from Beauvillier.

Beauvillier tied it early in the third period when he deposited a rebound past Vladar.

With just under seven minutes left, Washington nearly went ahead when Ovechkin’s shot trickled off the glove of Vladar and just past the right post.

–Field Level Media