Hopefully, you didn't spend too much time watching that.
If you did, well, you can commiserate here and read all about the fun stuff that happened in the Blue Jackets' 5-2 preseason loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. By the standard measure, it was everything one should expect in the first exhibition game of the season and offered little in the way of insight into what's to come.
In their fourth day of camp and fourth day of rigorous physical testing, the Blue Jackets looked like a team that had gone through rigorous physical testing. Yes, they were tired. It's to be expected. The game was slow, at times giving a sundial a run for its money, and was filled with penalties because that's what NHL officials do when there's a new rule change being instituted.
Columbus had nine power plays in the game. Why? We'll never know.
THREE THOUGHTS
- Dubois' Debut: We're not even a full week into training camp and the focus has, for good reason, not shifted from Pierre-Luc Dubois even in the absence of Josh Anderson. Dubois is the odds-on favorite to make the roster and anchor the No. 3 line, provided he makes a strong impression in camp and during his preseason game action. So far, so good. Tonight, he played center on a line with Nick Foligno and Artemi Panarin on the wings, which is a pretty encouraging way to start. He didn't look timid and didn't look like a player carrying the immense burden of expectations, but there's a long way to go.
- Jump Start Jones: The Blue Jackets scored two goals tonight and both were screamers off the stick of Seth Jones, who was one of a few "veteran" defensemen in the lineup for Columbus tonight. Jones opened the scoring for the Blue Jackets in the third period and added another late in regulation, showing off his deceptively heavy shot that he can let fly from anywhere on the ice. He was one of the more noticeable Blue Jackets - in a good way - at both ends of the rink in this exhibition opener.
- Alright, We Get It: In case you hadn't heard, the NHL is instituting a modified face-off violation rule this year. In a nutshell: within one face-off sequence, teams get one warning before they're assessed a minor penalty for the second infraction. That's to say, one player (the center) gets kicked out and the second guy screws up, you're shorthanded. It was whistled a few times in this game and further reinforced the point that, when the NHL is trying to cram a rule change down your throat, they'll get it out of the way early in the preseason.
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