NEWARK, N.J. _ Taylor Hall was on the scoresheet again for the 12th Devils' game in a row.
But the more important streak to the Devils was the one that ended.
The Blue Jackets held on for a 2-1 win on Tuesday night at Prudential Center to keep the Devils from matching a season high with a fifth straight win.
It wasn't for a lack of effort as the Devils (31-21-8) carried the play over the final two periods, outshooting the Blue Jackets, 20-6 in that span.
But Sergei Bobrovsky was the difference, making 30 saves for the Blue Jackets (30-25-5), who snapped a three-game losing streak and moved past the idle Hurricanes and Islanders into fifth place in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot.
Bobrovsky smothered the Devils' best chances in the final minutes, smothering Brian Boyle's shot from the slot at 17:18 of the third period and then having his defense keep Travis Zajac from getting off a shot at the crease off a scramble seconds later.
The Blue Jackets, who won three of four from the Devils this season, still sit five points back of the Devils, in fourth place in the division and in the first wild-card position.
Keith Kinkaid, starting for the 10th time in the last 12 games with Cory Schneider (groin/hip) still sidelined, made 17 saves.
The Devils lost the teams' last meeting, 6-1, at Columbus on Feb. 10 with Kinkaid facing 50 shots.
So as much as the Devils felt good about their recent play, they had wanted to rectify that glitch.
"The last time we played, they beat us all over the rink in every category," Devils coach John Hynes said.
The Devils outshot the Blue Jackets, 11-2, in the second period with each team scoring once.
Hall extended his career-high point streak to 12 games, matching the Bruins' David Pastrnak for the longest streak in the NHL this season, with a rush and shot from the right at 1:34.
That prompted an "MVP, MVP" chant from the crowd as Hall's Hart Trophy candidacy keeps gaining momentum.
Hall now has at least one point in each of his last 19 games, though the NHL does not recognize that as a continuous streak because Hall missed three games prior to the All-Star Game with an injured right thumb. Overall, Hall has 13 goals and 14 assists in his last 19 games.
No. 1 overall pick Nico Hischier, named the NHL's first star of the week on Monday, added an assist on Hall's goal to extend his point streak to a season-high six games, though his four-game goal streak was snapped.
The Blue Jackets were the better team in the first period, quicker to pucks and more physical and it resulted in a 1-0 lead as Zach Werenski knocked a shot off the far post from the left circle and Boone Jenner beat Ben Lovejoy to the crease to knock in the rebound at 5:19.
