|
|
BUFFALO SABRES THURSDAY, OCT. 17 7:00 P.M. NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
|
BUFFALO: |
@ 
Despite just one win in their first three games, the Columbus Blue Jackets could easily be undefeated to start the 2024-25 season.
Sandwiched around a 6-4 victory over the Colorado Avalanche, the club came up a goal short in last Thursday's seasons opener against the Minnesota Wild and Tuesday's home opener against the Florida Panthers.
The way the Blue Jackets were buzzing in the final seconds of each loss, the final buzzer came just a few seconds too early.
They'll look to right that ship Thursday night when they face the Buffalo Sabres. The Sabres have just one win in their first five games of the season, though picked a point in an overtime loss Wednesday night on the road against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets continue a four-game homestand:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | BUF | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.67 | 9th | GOALS FOR | 2.60 | 26th |
| 3.67 | 23rd | GOALS AGAINST | 3.60 | t-20th |
| 25.0% | t-12th | POWER PLAY | 0.0% | t-30th |
| 70.0% | t-24th | PENALTY KILL | 72.7% | 22nd |
| 31.3 | t-8th | SHOTS FOR | 28.4 | 21st |
| 26.8 | 7th | SHOTS AGAINST | 30.2 | 20th |
| BUFFALO'S LAST THREE GAMES | ||||
| THU, 10/10 | vs. Los Angeles | L, 3-1 | ||
| SAT, 10/12 | vs. Florida | W, 5-2 | ||
| WED, 10/16 | @ Pittsburgh | OTL 6-5 | ||
| BUFFALO'S TEAM LEADERS | ||||
| GOALS | Tage Thompson | 3 | ||
| ASSISTS | Alex Tuch | 4 | ||
| POINTS | Alex Tuch | 6 | ||
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 43% | |||
| BETESPN ODDS: | CBJ +120 | |||
-
Justin Danforth will make his season debut after offseason wrist surgery. He'll slot in for Kevin Labanc on the wing and play on the third line with Mikael Pyyhtia and Cole Sillinger. Kent Johnson gets bumped up to the second line. Danforth had 10 goals and 16 assists in 71 games last year.
-
It sure would be nice to have Captain Boone Jenner out there, but Yegor Chinakhov has stepped up on the top line in a huge way. He leads the team in assists (4) and points (5) through three games, with a goal to boot. This is the most expanded role of his career, and early indications are that the 23-year-old could be blossoming into a star. A long way from the on-air confusion by draft experts as to who he was at the 2020 Draft.
-
Daniil Tarasov will be between the pipes for the Blue Jackets, with Jet Greaves backing him up. The club brought Greaves up on an emergency recall late Wednesday, moving defenseman Erik Gudbranson to injured reserve and announcing that goalie Elvis Merzlikins would miss a few days with what they're calling an "upper body injury."
-
Jack Johnson comes back into the lineup for Erik Gudbranson, and he'll skate with Jordan Harris on the third pairing. That means that David Jiricek, for the fourth straight game to start the season, will be a healthy scratch.
- Here are the full line projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 59 | Yegor Chinakhov | 23 | Sean Monahan | 82 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 21 | James van Riemsdyk | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 82 | Mikael Pyyhtia | 4 | Cole Sillinger | 17 | Justin Danforth |
| 27 | Zach Aston-Reese | 7 | Sean Kuraly | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 9 | Ivan Provorov |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 22 | Jordan Harris | 3 | Jack Johnson |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up Goalie | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Daniil Tarasov | Jet Greaves | |
