The Blue Jackets concluded the annual Prospects Challenge in Buffalo with a 5-4 overtime win vs. Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon at LECOM Harborcenter.
Game in a Paragraph
Columbus finished the event with a 2-1 record as they emerged victorious in a back-and-forth game that featured plenty of goals and penalties. The Blue Jackets led 2-0 after one and 3-2 after the second, watched the Pens battle back to take a 4-3 lead in the third, then staged their own rally to first tie and then win it on Nicholas Sima’s overtime tally.
CBJ Standouts
- Sima, a free-agent invite who spent last year with Saginaw of the OHL, scored twice and finished the tournament leading the way for the Jackets with three goals in three games.
- 2024 second-round draft pick Charlie Elick, a defenseman, tied the score with his first goal of the tournament late in the third period.
- 2025 fifth-round pick Owen Griffin had a goal and two assists, including the primary helper on Sima’s winner.
Quote Of The Game
Head coach Trent Vogelhuber: "Really gutsy 24 hours for the group and guys logging huge minutes both nights. ... Guys dug in and I thought a lot of individuals and the group got better as the night went on."
How It Happened
For the first time at the event, the Blue Jackets got on the board with the opening goal, as it took just 2:07 for Sima to score past goalie Gabriel D’Aigle off an assist from Marcus Kearsay. Columbus then doubled its advantage with 9:22 left in the frame, as Griffin took advantage of a Penguins defenseman losing an edge to enter the zone with speed before centering to Jack Williams to finish as he tumbled into the crease. CBJ goalie Evan Gardner kept the Pens off the scoreboard, as well, with 15 saves in the frame.
Columbus led 3-2 after an eventful second period that included three goals and three fights. On the score sheet, Pittsburgh forward Avery Hayes made a big impact, tallying a pair of power-play goals in the opening 5:58 of the frame to knot the score at 2. The Blue Jackets answered with 9:23 left in the period while holding a 5-on-3 advantage, as Oiva Keskinen centered across the crease for Griffin to put home past D’Aigle. Gardner made some big saves down the stretch of the period – including one on first-round pick Ben Kindel – to keep the Jackets ahead.
The Penguins roared back in the third to take a 4-3 lead only to see the Blue Jackets tie it late. Tristan Broz followed up his own rebound and scored on the power play 1:48 into the period to tie the score, then Pittsburgh took its first lead of the game with 12:09 left in the third when Atley Calvert got inside position and jammed his own rebound past Gardner. But Columbus wasn’t done, tying the score with 3:15 left just as a power play ended, with Elick putting the long rebound of a Brendan Hoffmann shot past D’Aigle.
Columbus had some good looks to start overtime and converted on the rush 2:00 into the extra frame, as Griffin raced the puck up the right side and fed Sima for a backhander through the legs D’Aigle for the winning goal.
Notable
Gardner stopped 40 of 44 shots against to earn the win, while D’Aigle made 25 saves in the Pittsburgh net. ... The game matched up brothers in CBJ forward Tyler Peddle and Pittsburgh defenseman Brady Peddle, a third-round draft pick this summer. ... Peddle was involved in a second-period fight with Pittsburgh defenseman Quinn Beauchesne – who received a game misconduct for not having his fight strap attached – while Jackets wing Ryder Boulton was in a pair of fights in the second period. ... The teams combined for 84 penalty minutes – 45 for Columbus, 39 for Pittsburgh. ... Luca Pinelli’s five points (goal, four assists) led the Blue Jackets in scoring at the tournament, while Sima’s three goals paced the squad. Griffin (2-2-4) and Keskinen (1-3-4) also notched four points.
Roster Report
Columbus wing Jordan Dumais took part in warmups but was scratched from the game for precautionary reasons. ... Gardner made his second appearance in the tournament, while Nolan Lalonde was a scratch after earning the win Saturday night.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets have concluded the Prospects Challenge and will return to Columbus to get ready for the start of training camp this week.
