The Jackets took on the Pittsburgh Penguins twice Sunday in a pair of split-squad games.
Game 1
The first game was in Pittsburgh at PPG Paints Arena. The Jackets sent the likes of Cole Sillinger, Eric Robinson, Adam Boqvist, and David Jiricek. Meanwhile, Aaron Dell and Jet Greaves were in goal.
Alex Nylander would put the Penguins up 1-0 at the 09:03 mark of the 1st period, assisted by Zohorna and Abbandonato. Later with three minutes left in the period, Pierre-Olivier Joseph put the pens up 2-0 with a snapshot that beat CBJ goalie Jet Greaves.
The second period saw both teams called for two penalties each, but both failed to score on their respective man advantages. Neither team would score at even strength.
The third period is when the Blue Jackets made their comeback. 3:35 into the period, Jack Roslovic deflected a shot from Emil Bemstrom past Penguin goalie Joel Blomqvist. The goal was originally thought to be Bemstrom's, but in the end, Roslovic deflected it. Emil Bemstrom and Adam Boqvist got the assists on the goal. Later in the period, Owen Sillinger scored off of a one-time pass from rookie David Jiricek, which tied the game two. And that's how regulation would end, in a 2-2 tie.
They would then go on to play a 5-minute OT, and neither team would score. So off to the shootout, they went. The Penguins made quick work of the shootout, with Alex Nylander and Brayden Yager beating Aaron Dell to end it. Dell and Greaves made 26 saves in the game.
Game 2
The second game took place in the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena, and for this game, we saw a lot more scoring. 4:37 into the first period, Alexandre Texier would score his first of the preseason, assisted by Adam Fantilli and Patrik Laine. Texier, who just returned after a year playing in Switzerland, looks to come back and contribute, and that he did. Pittsburgh scored at 15:15 off of a snapper from Jonathan Gruden tying it at 1. A little over a minute later the Jackets' Carson Meyer beat Magnus Hellberg to take the lead. And then with 26 seconds left, Pittsburgh got a goal from Sam Poulin to tie it at 2.
The second period saw a pair of goals, one from each team. Carson Meyer would score his second of the game, again assisted by Adam Fantilli nine minutes into the period. A little over a minute later, the Penguins' Austin Wagner would backhand one past Elvis Merzlikins to tie the game at three. The period would end in a 3-3 tie.
In the third period, both teams would replace their goalies. Pavel Cajan came in for Merzlikins and Taylor Gauthier would come in for the Pens. Elvis finished with 18 saves. Pavel Cajan would make seven saves in the third. Neither team would score a goal, and off to the second OT of the day we go.
The 3-on-3 was fairly uneventful until Jordan Dumais, the QMJHL superstar, decided to end it. Dumais beat Taylor Gauthier high over his left shoulder to beat Pittsburgh and send the CBJ faithful home happy. The shot went in and out of the net so fast that only two people realized it at first, Dumais and Gauthier. The goal was assisted by Kent Johnson and Denton Mateychuk.
Thoughts and Opinions
It's preseason games 1 and 2 with split squads, I'm not going to overthink this.
- Carson Meyer almost made the team last season out of camp, and with a pair of goals on Sunday, he might make that push again.
- Alexandre Texier made his return to NWA and scored, the fans and the team have been waiting for his return, and it was worth it.
- Rookie Adam Fantilli looked really good and he's going to be exciting to watch. He finished the game with two assists and was a +2.
- Jordan Dumais, who had the OT winner, looked a bit out of place at times, but in the end, he was able to score on a beautiful shot. Everyone is rooting for Dumais to make the team. His 140 points in Halifax last year and his 278 career points make it hard to prove that it's worth sending him back. Reports are the CBJ might apply for the same exemption that Seattle's Shane Wright just got, allowing him to play in the AHL.
The Blue Jackets will play again in St. Louis against the Blue on Tuesday at 8 p.m.
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