RECAP: Blue Jackets 1, Sabres 4

After four days of intense conditioning to start training camp, the Blue Jackets didn't expect to be refreshed Monday night at Nationwide Arena.
In fact, in the third camp directed by coach John Tortorella, they now expect to feel the exact opposite of refreshed in their first couple preseason games.
"It takes a while," said center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who finished with an assist on the lone Columbus goal in a 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres to start the preseason. "These games are kind of frustrating because you have no energy and you know it, but at the same time you don't like losing and you don't like not playing well. So, it's just getting through this first four or five days of camp."

The Sabres (1-0-0) got goals from Patrik Berglund, Nathan Beaulieu, Kyle Criscuolo and Andrew Oglevie, while Linus Ullmark played the first two periods in net and made 20 saves on 21 shots.
David Savard scored for the Blue Jackets (0-1-0), who will host their second game of the preseason Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Matiss Kivlenieks started in net for Columbus, making seven saves on seven shots in the first, but left with a lower-body injury.

Brad Thiessen took over to start the second and allowed four goals on 13 shots.
As expected, the Blue Jackets slogged their way through their first of eight preseason games. They did find enough in the tank to outshoot Buffalo, 37-17 - including 16-6 in the third - but lacked the finishing touch Buffalo had.
"The legs are a little heavy, so you've got to keep your shifts short - but [that's] part of it," said defenseman David Savard, who scored off a nice pass by Anthony Duclair in the second period to cut it to 2-1. "It's been like that the past few years. You've just got to battle through it and still try to make the best of it."
Earlier in the day, Tortorella feared the Blue Jackets' energy reserves.
"I'm a little concerned about these two games for us, because they have skated and skated, and it's been really hard for them," he said. "You've got to be really careful, as far as how you evaluate [these guys], because I think we're going to have some tired players out there tonight."
He was spot on.
The Blue Jackets had a little pep midway through the first, nearly scoring on a flurry by the top line, but mostly they felt like their skates were slicing through mud.
"Where I think it mainly showed up was in our [defensive]-zone coverage," said assistant coach Brad Shaw, who ran the bench along with assistant Brad Larsen as Tortorella watched from above. "Lots of seam plays, lots of plays where if we're a little sharper, sticks and feet are there and our awareness is a little better and I think the majority of their scoring chances just don't happen. It showed up all over the ice, but mainly in that defensive zone."

ONE-TIMERS:Left wing Artemi Panarin skated prior to practice Monday, but is still day-to-day with a neck strain. … Tortorella said the first cuts of training camp will likely happen Wednesday, which is a scheduled off day for recovery purposes. … It was announced Monday that former Blue Jackets Jared Boll and Fedor Tyutin will join the team's hockey-operations department. Boll is rejoining the organization as an assistant development coach and Tyutin will be a pro scout. Boll, who retired after last season, played the past two years with the Anaheim Ducks. He made his NHL debut with Columbus and played nine seasons with the Blue Jackets. Tyutin spent eight seasons with the Jackets and played 553 of his 872 career NHL games in Columbus.
SCORING
Buffalo - Patrick Berglund (1) 0:22, 2nd period (Alexander Nylander, Tage Thompson) 1-0, Nathan Beaulieu (1) PPG 6:31, 2nd period (Nylander, Thompson) 2-0, Kyle Criscuolo (1) 13:15, 2nd period (Sean Malone, Tyler Randell) 3-1
Columbus- David Savard (1) 6:39, 2nd period (Anthony Duclair, Pierre-Luc Dubois) 2-1
THREE STARS
Linus Ullmark, Sabres
Ullmark was sharp right from the get-go, making nine saves without allowing a goal in the first period and allowing just one to get past him in the 21 shots he faced. One save in particular, a sprawling stop with his glove off a blast by Tommy Cross in the second, was the save of the game,
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Alexander Nylander, Sabres
Nylander is making a case to begin the season with Buffalo. He played well in a couple of scrimmages to start training camp and finished this game with two primary assists on the first two goals of the game. He played 19:28 and also posted a plus-1 rating.
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David Savard, Blue Jackets
Savard scored the only Columbus goal and played 21:18 spread over 23 shifts. He did take two penalties, including one that led to a power-play goal, but also had four shots on goal seven shot attempts and blocked three shots.
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#CBJ SPOTLIGHT: Anthony Duclair, right wing
This was the first time Duclair pulled on a Blue Jackets uniform and played an actual game against another NHL team, so it was sort of his Columbus debut. It was also a nice start.
Playing right wing on the top line, with Sonny Milano and Dubois, Duclair finished with the assist on Savard's goal and played 18:14, including 4:43 on the power play, put two shots on net and had six shot attempts. He even got 26 seconds of penalty-kill time.
OTHER JACKETS STANDOUTS: Dubois (19:09, one assist, two shots); Jonathan Davidsson (14:45/4:02 PP, four shots, three hits)
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IN THEIR WORDS

"I think it's great. It feels special to me, too, just because the kind of careers [for] both of us were similar careers, the time we came here and the time we left. Both of us [were] here for quite a few years and since day one we [were] on the team, we've always been … I wouldn't say, like, best friends, but we were pretty close all our years here together. So, it was pretty special to me walking in here with him today."
- former Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin, on being hired as a pro scout for Columbus the same day former teammate Jared Boll was announced as an assistant development coach.
"I think we're asking every player to define who they are at training camp here. Even though we have a lot of people that are definitely going to be on this team, it's where do they fit in? What's their role going to be? And [those] are some of the biggest questions we have going forward. We'd like to see guys play as close to their best as possible, so we can make the best decision on them."
- assistant coach Brad Shaw
"Well, we're always evaluating these guys and sometimes it's, 'What do they do on tired legs? How do they find a way to still have success when maybe the energy levels aren't where they'd like them to be?' It's not surprising that guys get frustrated. We're still expecting these guys to find ways to win hockey games. That's what we're here for, so for all the good stats in tonight's game, the one that really matters is you're not getting the win."
- Shaw
"Every year, it's getting to the first day off and then you get your legs back after that and you get into the real game."
- Dubois, on the early physical toll of training camp