The Blue Jackets, who iced a nearly full NHL lineup, improved their preseason record to 3-2-1 following a 4-3 victory over the Sabres on Wednesday at Nationwide Arena.
Three Takeaways
Johnny Gaudreau-Patrik Laine-Kirill Marchenko line shines
Just like they did on Monday, the Gaudreau-Laine-Marchenko line dominated at five-on-five.
| Chances For/Against | Shots For/Against | Scoring Chances For/Against | High Danger Chances For/Against | Goals For/Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/5 | 9/2 | 5/0 | 5/0 | 2/0 |
This has been the team's best line during the preseason, and so far, Laine has looked good at center, at least in the offensive zone.
Early returns on the Patrik Laine center experiment have been positive. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/00p0Ip6A0L
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 4, 2023
This line moves the puck well, and if they continue to play at this rate, will post monster numbers in the regular season.
Some beautiful passing from the Jackets top line! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Eih8UOQt4t
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) October 5, 2023
Elvis Merzlikins Struggles Again
Entering Wednesday's game, Merzlikins stopped 45 of 52 shots faced. On Wednesday, he stopped 23 of 26, giving him a preseason save percentage of .872. That is just not even close to good enough. In fact, that's a number that will destroy any chances the Blue Jackets have of being a competitive team in 2023-24.
Cole Sillinger impresses
Sillinger had arguably his best game of the preseason Wednesday, creating a pair of five-on-five scoring chances, per naturalstattrick.com.
After scoring just three goals last season, the hope is that he'll receive better puck luck this season. So far this preseason and training camp, his play has certainly earned it.
The Blue Jackets are back in action at Nationwide Arena on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET when they'll take on the Washington Capitals in the team's penultimate preseason game.
