After Adam Fantilli's second-period goal gave the Blue Jackets the lead into the third, the team conceded a game-tying goal and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Saturday.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | OT | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BLUE JACKETS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| BUF SABRES | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
1st Period
The first period was mostly all Sabres highlighted by shots from Jack Quinn at 7:40, JJ Peterka at 12:10, and Dylan Cozens at 19:28, but Blue Jackets goalie Daniil Tarasov was up to the challenge, denying all shots.
Damon Severson opened the scoring with his fourth of the season at 19:48 with a goal from the slot after a net-mouth scramble.
Damon Severson in the dying seconds of the first! #CBJ pic.twitter.com/y1pR5BP1Sd
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 30, 2023
Despite being outshot 13-7, the Blue Jackets led 1-0 after the first period.
2nd Period
Quinn evened the score at 0:40 after an Ivan Provorov turnover led to a net-front scramble that saw Quinn score from the left doorstep.
Jack Quinn on clean-up duty pic.twitter.com/w7n1L2NM7D
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 30, 2023
Fantilli scored his second goal in as many games and 11th of the season at 13:45 just after exiting the penalty box with a left-circle wrist shot off a feed from Justin Danforth.
ADAMO GIVES THE JACKETS THE LEAD #CBJ pic.twitter.com/gRSHU8nrmH
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) December 30, 2023
The Blue Jackets led 2-1 after the second period while trailing 28-13 in shots on goal.
3rd Period
Jeff Skinner nearly tied the game at 7:23 from the left doorstep but Tarasov made a pad-stacking save to preserve the Columbus lead.
Casey Mittelstadt tied the game at 11:52 with a right-slot wrist shot past Tarasov.
Casey Mittelstadt with a rocket to tie it up! pic.twitter.com/2OMEgnbhyw
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 31, 2023
Skinner nearly gave Buffalo the lead at 12:07 when his right-circle one-timer hit the post.
The teams were tied at two after 60 minutes with Buffalo outshooting Columbus 39-21.
Overtime
Skinner scored the game-winner at 1:20 from the slot thanks to a feed from Owen Power.
Alexa, play Breaking Free pic.twitter.com/YxGfkMfZYA
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) December 31, 2023
With the loss, the Blue Jackets fall to 12-18-8.
Stats
- Shots on Goal: CBJ 20-41 BUF
- Face-off %: CBJ 42.6-57.4 BUF
- Power play: CBJ 0/1-0/1 BUF
- Giveaways: CBJ 2-6 BUF
- Takeaways: CBJ 5-11 BUF
- Blocked shots: CBJ 21-6 BUF
- Hits: CBJ 14-11 BUF
-
5-on-5 stats (via naturalstattrick.com):
- Expected Goals (xG): CBJ 1.91-3.68 BUF
- Shot Attempts (CF): CBJ 32-75 BUF
- Shots on Goal (SF): CBJ 20-38 BUF
- Scoring Chances (SCF): CBJ 13-33 BUF
- High-Danger Chances (HDCF): CBJ 7-13 BUF
Injury Update
- Zach Werenski was placed on IR with an ankle injury he suffered on Dec. 27 and is out 4-6 weeks.
- Sean Kuraly was placed on IR retroactive to Dec. 23 and is day-to-day with an abdominal injury.
- Nick Blankenburg was placed on IR retroactive to Dec. 19 with an upper-body injury. He's listed as day-to-day.
- Patrik Laine is expected to miss six weeks with a clavicle fracture suffered on Dec. 15 and is on IR retroactive to Dec. 14.
- Boone Jenner is on IR and is expected to miss six weeks with a broken jaw he suffered on Dec. 8.
- Adam Boqvist is expected to miss four weeks with a shoulder strain and is on IR retroactive to Dec. 5.
Next Up
The Blue Jackets are back in action on Tuesday when they host the Boston Bruins at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
The club travels to Philadelphia to face the Flyers on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on Bally Sports Ohio.
