Emil Bemström is fighting for a position on the NHL roster
Emil Bemström is treated like a 1st overall pick by some fans and media, fair or not, that’s just the way it is. The truth of the matter is that he's only played 172 games over the last four seasons, oh and by the way, Bemström was a 4th round pick.
Bemström usually does well in the preseason, especially against the Blues and in St. Louis. Back in the 2021 preseason he also had a pair of goals in a game. And so far, after two games, he’s continuing that trend of good play. He had an assist in Pittsburgh on Sunday in a loss.
The Jackets have a hard time playing in St. Louis for whatever reason, and last night was no exception. The Blues came out and scored in the first eight minutes on Aaron Dell, a flukey play that the Blues Jakub Vrana buried. About five minutes later is when Emil Bemström struck first, who took a pass from Alexandre Texier as they were heading down the ice and zipped one past Blues goalie Jordan Binnington. The Blues were up 3-1 after one period as Isaac Ratcliffe and Oskar Sundqvist also scored for the Blues.
Fast forward to the third period and the score is still 3-1 Blues. But the CBJ would score with 4:35 left to make it 3-2. Bemström would take a pass from Denton Mateychuk and blast a one-timer past Malcolm Subban to get within one. But unfortunately, that’s how the game would end. And St. Louis would continue to be a place where the CBJ just can’t win, preseason or not.
Have a look at both of the Bemström goals below.
But there were some positives to take away from the game. Aside from the 1st period, the Jackets pretty much dominated the rest of the game. They outshot the Blue 32-13 after the Blues had 9 shots on goal in the first period alone. They won the faceoff battle 54% to 46%, and the time of possession seemed tilted towards the Columbus offensive zone most of the night. Even though it was a loss, there is a lot to be happy about with this game. Playing against a Blues lineup that was heavy on NHLers and essentially taking over the game after the 1st was fun to watch, especially with the mix of players the CBJ had.
After the game, Jackets head coach Pascal Vincent had some very encouraging words for Emil Bemström. “Bemmer can shoot the puck, we know it, he has good offensive instincts.” He goes on to mention that Bemström is trying to execute the system they're trying to put in place, and to Vincent, that’s “impressive.” Bemström is definitely going to make a push to make this team and could flourish under Vincent.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPtmgi7ADuA[/embed]
Alexandre Texier also continues to get his NHL legs back under him. He assisted on both Bemström goals and scored a goal on Sunday. The Jackets could be lucky to have him back.
Now the Jackets move on to Buffalo for a preseason game against the Sabres at 3 p.m.
Stay tuned to THN Columbus for roster updates and news.
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