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Blue Jackets hope to match season-high winning streak

Jan 16, 2009 - 11:40 AM New Jersey (25-15-3) at Columbus (21-18-4), 7:00 p.m. EST

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Ticker) -- For the first seven years of their existence, the Columbus Blue Jackets knew nothing but losing. Now, it seems all they do is enjoy the opposite.

Rookie netminder Steve Mason and the surging Blue Jackets look to match a season-high, four-game winning streak when they host the New Jersey Devils on Friday.

Columbus has also won seven of its last nine, outscoring its opponents, 24-6, in those victories. Prior to this season, the Jackets' season-best campaign came in 2005-06, with a 35-43-4 record and a third-place finish in the Central Division.

They are the only active NHL club to have never qualified for the postseason. However, Columbus' position in the Western Conference playoff picture received a boost after posting a 4-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

Its success can be attributed to the 20-year-old Mason, who leads the NHL with a 1.80 goals-against average, a .936 save percentage and six shutouts.

New Jersey, meanwhile, is coming off a 5-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday and improved to 2-1-0 on its current season-high, six-game road trip.

All-Star Zach Parise is riding a three-game goal-scoring streak and has tallied seven times in the last 10 contests.