The Blue Jackets kicked off a day with two preseason games by dropping a 3-2 final in a shootout against the Penguins in Pittsburgh’s PPG Paints Arena.
Game in a Paragraph
It was a largely even game, but Pittsburgh opened a 2-0 lead through the opening 17 minutes and held it through the second period. The Blue Jackets didn't quit, though, as they got a pair of goals in the third period to send the split-squad game to overtime and then a shootout, where the Penguins won the exhibition contest 2-0.
CBJ Standouts
- Jack Roslovic scored the Jackets’ first goal of the preseason with assists to Emil Bemstrom and Adam Boqvist.
- Owen Sillinger tied the score with 2:03 to go off a pass from David Jiricek.
- Aaron Dell did not allow a goal while playing the second half of the contest and OT, stopping 10 shots against.
Quick Recap
Columbus had a 12-9 edge in shots on goal in the opening period of play but it was Pittsburgh that had the lead thanks to a pair of goals. The Penguins opened the scoring 9:03 into the preseason as Radim Zohorna was open in front; CBJ goalie Jet Greaves got a piece of his centering pass, but Alex Nylander followed up the play and slammed the puck home from the top of the crease. Then with 3:00 left in the period, P.O. Joseph’s shot from the blue line deflected off the skate of Adam Boqvist and got by Greaves.
The second period was again an even frame as far as play, and this time the score was knotted as well as neither team got on the board. Greaves denied Drew O’Conner early in the frame on a breakaway, while Eric Robinson hit the post for the Jackets as he got behind the defense. The teams also swapped goalies halfway through the period, with Dell coming in for Greaves and Pittsburgh replacing Alex Nedeljkovic with Joel Blomqvist.
Columbus got on board 3:35 into the third, making it a 2-1 game on the power play. Bemstrom drilled a shot from the left circle that Blomqvist saved, but the rebound went off the skate of Roslovic and bounced back past the Pittsburgh goalie. The equalizer then came with 123 seconds to go, as Jiricek brought the puck into the zone and passed it across the slot and Sillinger put a one-timer past Blomqvist.
After a back-and-forth overtime that featured multiple chances (shots on goal were 5-4 in favor of the Blue Jackets), the game went to a shootout. Nylander and Brayden Yager scored for the Penguins, while Bemstrom and Boqvist were denied for Columbus.
Notable
Columbus had a 35-27 edge in shots on goal. ... With Roslovic’s goal, Columbus went 1 for 4 on the power play, while Pittsburgh was 0-3. … Greaves finished with 15 saves on 17 shots against. ... Pittsburgh blocked 22 shots.
Roster Report
Here is a link to the roster the Blue Jackets used for the game, as the team sent a group including 10 regulars from last year to the Steel City.
Up Next
Columbus returns to Nationwide Arena to host Pittsburgh tonight in a 7 p.m. faceoff in Nationwide Arena.
