The Blue Jackets completed a day with two preseason games by capturing a 4-3 overtime win over Pittsburgh in Nationwide Arena on Sunday night.
Game in a Paragraph
In the second of a pair of games to kick off the exhibition campaign, the Blue Jackets and Penguins played an entertaining contest for the CBJ fans. It was 2-2 after a period and 3-3 after two before Jordan Dumais' bullet of a finish sent the fans home happy.
CBJ Standouts
- Carson Meyer scored two goals for the Blue Jackets.
- Adam Fantilli played his first preseason game in the downtown barn and posted a pair of assists.
- Alexandre Texier also scored in his return to Columbus after a season played in Europe.
Quick Recap
The Blue Jackets didn’t need long to get on the board, as Texier’s goal 4:37 into the game started the scoring, as Fantilli put the puck on net and the French forward was there to put the rebound past goalie Magnus Hellberg. Pittsburgh tied the score at 15:15 when Jonathan Gruden’s centering pass from below the goal line deflected past Elvis Merzlikins, but Meyer scored 1:04 later as he slammed Martin Rysavy’s centering pass home. Sam Poulin then made it 2-2 with 26.0 seconds left in the frame when he scored from the right side.
Columbus took its third lead of the game on a beautiful shorthanded goal at 11:01 of the second, as Fantilli used his speed to win a race to a puck and then dropped a backhanded pass to Meyer for the breakaway finish past Hellberg. But Pittsburgh answered again at 13:24 as Austin Wagner muscled his way to the net and flipped a shot that crawled up and over Merzlikins.
After a scoreless third period, the teams played their second overtime contest of the day. Dumais' finish was an absolute rip from the right circle that went off the back bar of the net and out before most of the crowd even realized it.
Notable
Columbus had a 35-29 edge in shots on goal. … Patrik Laine, Kent Johnson and Denton Mateychuk also picked up single assists for the Blue Jackets. … Merzlikins stopped 18 of 21 shots against, while Cajan denied all eight Pittsburgh shots on goal in the third period and OT.
Roster Report
Here is a link to the roster the Blue Jackets used for the game, with Fantilli’s first exhibition game in Nationwide Arena highlighting the roster.
Up Next
Columbus plays Tuesday night in St. Louis with an 8 p.m. faceoff. The Blue Jackets' next preseason game at Nationwide Arena will be Oct. 2 against the Blues.
