The Blue Jackets improved their record at the Prospects Challenge to 1-1, downing the home Sabres by a 7-5 score in Buffalo on Saturday night.
Game in a Paragraph
In a back-and-forth game, Columbus controlled the third period to pull away to the win. The Blue Jackets and Sabres were tied 1-1 after one and 3-3 after two, but the Jackets tallied four times in the third to earn the victory. Columbus scored twice on the power play and twice shorthanded to earn the win.
CBJ Standouts
- Captain Luca Pinelli led the way, as the 2023 fourth-round pick had a goal and three assists for a four-point night.
- Fellow top liners Jordan Dumais and Oiva Keskinen also did their part. Dumais (2022 third-round pick) had a goal and an assist, while Keskinen (2023 seventh-round pick) had two assists.
- Caleb MacDonald, Tyler Peddle, Nicholas Sima and Ryland Mosley also scored for the Blue Jackets.
Quote Of The Game
Head coach Trent Vogelhuber on the top line: "I thought they were great. Keskinen there in the middle facilitating and I think Pinelli had four points and Dumer had a couple as well. They all have the skill, so they're getting a little comfortable with each other in the second game, comfortable with some of the system things we're throwing at them, and then their skill had the ability to shine through a little bit."
How It Happened
Columbus nearly got off to a good start as Guillaume Richard sprung Dumais into the offensive zone on the first shift, but goalie Ryerson Leenders turned aside his shot. Buffalo then got on the board at 7:13, one second after a power play ended, as Riley Fiddler-Schultz found a rebound in traffic and slid it by CBJ goalie Nolan Lalonde. The Blue Jackets countered, though, with 4:22 left in the frame as MacDonald flung a wrister by Leenders from the right circle off a feed from Pinelli.
The Blue Jackets earned their first lead of the tournament at 6:09 of the first as they took a 2-1 advantage on a goal by Peddle; on a delayed penalty, Pinelli wound his way to the slot and Peddle was there to clean up the rebound of his shot. Buffalo battled back with a pair of goals, as 2022 first-round pick Noah Ostlund got behind the defense and roofed a shot past Lalonde and Red Savage tallied coming off the right wall to make it 3-2. But Columbus scored to tie it with 5:07 left in the period as Sima chased down a clear on the PK and fired a shot that trickled through Leenders.
The Blue Jackets then scored early and often to pull away in the third. Dumais put the Jackets ahead for good on the power play 3:23 into the period, slamming a nice feed from Keskinen past Leenders. It looked much the same 2:30 later, except Pinelli was the one who one-timed a pass from Keskinen home to make it 5-3. Matteo Costantini scored shorthanded to make it a 5-4 game, but just 34 seconds later on the CBJ power play, Griffin tipped a shot past Leenders to make it 6-4 with 9:08 left. Mosley scored into an empty net on a Buffalo power play to make it 7-5, and Fiddler-Schultz set the final margin when he scored at the buzzer.
Notable
Lalonde stopped 42 of 47 shots against in the CBJ crease to earn the win, while Leenders made 26 saves. ... Pinelli now has five points in two games at the tournament, while Keskinen has a goal and two assists.
Roster Report
Columbus scratched goalie Evan Gardner in anticipation of a potential start Sunday, while forward Josh Avery entered for Evan Van Gorp and defenseman Jakub Chromiak was in for Will Bishop.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets finish the tournament tomorrow when they face Pittsburgh at 3:30 p.m.
