We'll keep this short and sweet.
Preseason hockey has returned. Tonight, the Blue Jackets kicked off their schedule against the Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena and won, 4-1.
And as with most preseason games – particularly the early ones – this game was without flow and excitement for much of the night. It's primarily about individual performances, and one guy looking to make an impact did so right away.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| SABRES | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
That would be Emil Bemstrom, the 20-year-old Swedish forward who has earned the praise of GM Jarmo Kekalainen over the summer and has those inside the organization hoping he can provide scoring punch at the NHL level.
52 seconds into the game, he showed a bit of what he can do.
FIRST GOAL OF THE PRESEASON GOES TO @BEMSTROM_EMIL!
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 17, 2019
1-0, #CBJ pic.twitter.com/wr0aCs5SME
Hometown kid Kole Sherwood scored a goal late in the second period to give Columbus a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes. Zach Werenski set the play up off the rush. Sonny Milano added to the Blue Jackets' scoring with a goal at 14:22 of the third period, finishing a nice pass across the face of goal from Riley Nash. Zac Dalpe scored an empty netter in the late stages.
Joonas Korpisalo started tonight's game and, as scheduled, gave way to Matiss Kivlenieks midway through the second period. Both goaltenders were solid in their preseason debuts.
Injury Update
None to report. It's Game 1 of the preseason, after all.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets play the second game of their seven-game exhibition schedule on Thursday night, when they visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena.
