The Columbus Blue Jackets are completing their trio of games with a Western Conference foe in the St Louis Blues this evening at Nationwkde Arena, after playing the previous two nights against Eastern Conference competition.
Former Central Divison foe in the Blues had a rather large amount of turnover on the team this summer admits noise around their top Russian requesting out of the organization due to injury history and poor medical evaluation.
Gloria’s glory run in St. Louis was now two years ago, and the changes and cap structure in Missouri is causing their top players to leave the city in misery. Here is who has left and joined the team via CBS Sports’ transactions page:
Subtractions
- LD Vince Dunn (Seattle)
- LW Jaden Schwartz (Seattle)
- RD Morgan Reekie (Pittsburgh)
- LD Carl Gunnarson (retired)
- C David Backes (retired)
- LW Zach Sanford (Ottawa)
- LW Jacob De La Rose (SHL)
- C Sammy Blias (NY Rangers)
- LW Mike Hoffman (Montreal)
- LW Alex Steen (retired)
Additions
- LW Brandon Saad
- LW Pavel Buchnevich
- C Logan Brown
- G Charlie Lindgren
- C Matthew Peca
- LD Calle Rosen
Tryouts
- RW James Neal
- RW Michael Frolik
The team has added more scoring experience with youth, while losing their winners and veteran leadership. This seems to be looking like a mysterious year ahead in Midwest.
Columbus dropped the ball last night in their preseason home debut, collapsing in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres. After playing the night before, the tired Jet Graves not only played in Pittsburgh, but traveled home and had to play most of this game even after playing in Traverse City. With six goalies in camp, why is this team having one play the most when he is unsigned.
Jackets winger Oliver Bjorkstrand was on a role in the home opener, notching two goals in the first period, within 4 minutes of each other. One the first marker, forwards Tyler Angle and Jack Roslovic had the helpers; on the second, the support came from Angle and defenseman Jake Bean.
Before the first period came to a lose, Sabres prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen cut the lead in half; center John Hayden and defender Casey Fitzgerald got the supporter points.
The second period was carried and closed by Columbus and their offensive output for this contest. Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov tallied his first of the preseason; winger Eric Robinson and Bean had the assists. Rounding out his output, Bean scored his first goal as a Blue Jacket; Gavrikov and center Kevin Stenlund had the markers for the final goal.
Buffalo’s comeback was carried by the prospects in their rebuilding rebuild in the contest. Veteran Michael Mersch scored for cut the lead in half for Columbus to 4-2; former Jacket Ryan MacInnis and prospect Linus Weissbach had the assists. Top prospect John-Jakob Peterka cut the lead to 4-3 with his first preseason goal; Weissbach got his second point of the period. To even the contest, Weissbach beat Graves for his first of the preseason; new additions Vinnie Hinistroza and Will Butcher produced the supplemental assists. In the shootout, the long goal came from top prospect Jack Quinn.
Two goalies played great in the game, where two goalies played horrendously. Starting with Buffalo, potential starter Aaron Dell allowed 3 of 15, where potential Rochester starter Dustin Tokarski allowed one of 17, and was credited with the win. For Columbus, Elvis Merzlikins allowed one of 15; where Jet Graves allowed 3 of 14 shots faced.
CBJ Three Stars of the Game
1. Oliver Bjorkstrand — 2 goals (2)
2. Jake Bean — goal (1), 2 assists (2)
3. Tyler Angle — 2 assists (2)
Sean Kuraly was my player to watch for Columbus, and he was nonexistent in his hometown debut. Kuraly was on the ice for the Gavrikov goal, but also for the final Buffalo goal; and was also on the ice for the Weissbach minor and Eric Robinson minor penalties. Kuraly was also 53% in the faceoff circle against Buffalo, which is what they brought him in to do — win puck battles. Kuraly was 7/9 in the neutral zone, getting the puck to other wingers and defenders will help produce the offense in the bottom six for this Columbus team.
Dylan Cozens was the player to watch for Buffalo, finishing 43% on face offs and was pointless last night.
As for tonight’s matchup in Columbus, here are the projected lineups for Columbus and St Louis.
St. Louis Blues via Chris Pinkert of NHL.com
PROJECTED LINEUP
Forwards
James Neal - Robert Thomas - Jordan Kyrou
Ivan Barbashev - Logan Brown - Michael Frolik
Hugh McGing - Dakota Joshua - Klim Kostin
Keean Washkurak - Matthew Peca - Mathias Laferriere
Defense
Marco Scandella - Colton Parayko
Jake Walman - Steven Santini
Tommy Cross - Josh Wesley
Goalies
Joel Hofer
Charlie Lindgren
Columbus Blue Jackets Roster via Jeff Svoboda of NHL.com
Lineup constructed by assumption and visuals from practices and line rushes
Forwards
Jakub Voracek—Boone Jenner—Patrik Laine
Yegor Chinakov—Cole Sillinger—Josh Dunne
Brendan Gaunce—Liam Foudy—Gregory Hoffman
Tristian Mullin—Emil Bemstrom—Justin Danforth
Defensemen
Zach Werenski — Adam Boqvist
Gabriel Carlsson — Dean Kukan
Scott Harrington — Thomas Schemitsch
Goaltenders
Jean-Francois Berube
Daniil Tasarov
Players to Watch
STL—
Logan Brown— every other night a different player would be selected; however, after the recent trade just completed days ago between the St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators swapping forwards and picks, Logan Brown is the most intriguing player to watch this training camp for the Blues. Brown was always cut from the Sens’ camps relatively late, even though he is a highly touted prospect. The Senators even traded up to get him in the draft, and now ridded of him and a draft pick to be close to the cap floor with acquiring Zach Sanford. Brown played minor hockey with the Junior Blues, and his size will do better for him in the Western conference.
CBJ—
Daniil Tasarov— the spotlight and strength of the Columbus Blue Jackets for many years has been their goaltending depth. Somehow, the departure of former multi-time Veznia winner Sergei Bobrovsky has only improved the goaltending structure in Columbus. Elvis Merzlikins and Jonas Korpisalo have been in tandem control of the crease for years, but Tasarov may prove to be a bigger star in the pipeline than both of them present-day in the league. Tasarov will be getting time alongside Berube tonight.
Thoughts on the final game of three in three days for the CBJ?
More to come...
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