On Monday, the Columbus Blue Jackets began their eight-game preseason slate with a 6-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center.
Mathieu Olivier scored the lone goal for the Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves made 12 saves on 15 shots, and 2024 second-round pick Evan Gardner had 11 saves on 14.
It WAS Olivier! @FanaticsBook | #CBJ pic.twitter.com/BpOgM05zi3
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) September 23, 2024
There's only so much one can take from the first exhibition game of the preseason. Dean Evason mixed his club with a combination of veterans and mostly unseasoned prospects against a Sabres team that opted to dress most of its NHL regulars in what was their second exhibition game.
Did a little math as the preseason opener ticks away.
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) September 23, 2024
NHL games played, by ...
Sabres lineup tonight: 4,473
Jackets lineup tonight: 2,179 (1,187 of which is Jack Johnson).
Devon Levi made 25 saves on 26 shots for the Sabres. Owen Power, Zach Benson, Peyton Krebs, Dylan Cozens, Mattias Samuelsson, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel scored for Buffalo.
The unassisted Olivier goal at 11:34 of the first period tied the game at 1-1. Buffalo led 3-1 heading into the final frame, and the Sabres scored the final three goals in the first seven minutes of the last period.
The six Buffalo goals notwithstanding, head coach Dean Evason found the positive takeaways from the exhibition opener, as reported by Blue Jackets insider Jeff Svoboda on Bluejackets.com:
They obviously had a very strong lineup. I thought there were spurts in that game that we were real good. We limit them to not a lot of chances early. Obviously it got away from us in the third period, but we competed hard. ... We got a lot of positive signs. Obviously the score isn't what we were looking for, but the experience is.
Adam Fantilli (two shots, one blocked shot, 18:43 ice time) had his first game action since a calf laceration cut his rookie season short on Jan. 28 in Seattle.
Trey Fix-Wolansky and Mikael Pyyhtia co-led Columbus with four shots each. Newcomer Jordan Harris led the club with 23:17 ice time. David Jiricek figures to make the club and he played 22:45 with two shots on net and a blocked shot.
Buffalo had 13 different players register a point and five finished with two points including Benson and Krebs each scoring a goal and collecting an assist, and JJ Peterka, Jack Quinn, and Bowen Byram picking up two assists each. Peterka and Beck Malenstyn each led the way with four shots apiece for Buffalo.
Columbus is back at it on Wednesday when they host the St. Louis Blues in their first preseason home game at 7:00 p.m. ET.
