Columbus’ undefeated run at the 2023 NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City., Mich., came to an end Sunday as Dallas fought back to earn a 6-3 victory at Centre Ice Arena. The Blue Jackets finished the tournament with a 2-1 record.
Game in a Paragraph
The Blue Jackets decided not to dress Adam Fantilli, Jordan Dumais, James Malatesta, Denton Mateychuk and David Jiricek in the final contest of the tournament. Dallas was on the front foot for much of the contest, including an early 11-1 advantage in shots on goal, but the Blue Jackets hung with them, tying the score at 1 in the first period and holding a 3-2 lead after two frames. But the Stars finally took advantage in the third, scoring three times early in the final period and then finishing things off.
Quote of the Game
CBJ general manager Jarmo Kekalainen on the tournament: “There were a lot of good performances, especially the first two games. You could see we were missing quite a few of the top guys today. I think it was five players we took out of the lineup today. It was a different game, obviously, but they competed hard, and I’m proud of all those guys. It was a good tournament. I was very happy with the first two games, how our top prospects performed.”
CBJ Standouts
- Pavel Cajan stopped 24 of 26 shots against while playing the first 30 minutes in net.
- Dmitri Voronkov scored his first goal in a CBJ sweater, tallying on a breakaway in the second period.
- Kocha Delic and Cameron Butler also scored for the Blue Jackets.
Quick Recap
Dallas didn’t need long to take the lead, as a shot from defenseman Artem Grushnikov got through a screen and sailed past Cajan just 1:09 into the game. The Stars pushed hard for a second goal but were denied by Cajan, who finished with 16 saves in the period, and the Blue Jackets found their footing and tied the score at the 9:36 mark when Stanislav Svozil found Delic open in the slot for a shot past goalie Remi Poirier.
The Stars regained the lead just 47 seconds into the second period on the power play as Logan Stankoven’s shot from low on the left hit a stick and got past Cajan. Columbus took its only lead of the game later in the period with a pair of goals just 2:23 apart, as Butler deflected Corson Ceulemans’ shot past Poirier at 3:16 and Voronkov took advantage of a breakaway by scoring five-hole in the final minute of the frame.
The Stars did what they had to do in the third, though, tying the score when Gavin White’s shot through a screen beat Nolan Lalonde 1:59 into the frame. Just 49 seconds later, Francesco Arcuri scored on Oskar Back’s shot from right in front to give Dallas the lead for good, and Matthew Seminoff tallied a shorthanded off a turnover at 15:38. Chase Wheatcroft added a late power-play goal for Dallas to set the final score.
Notable
The Blue Jackets rested their top players, but Dumais (4-4-8), Fantilli (3-4-7) and Mateychuk (0-7-7) remained the three leading scorers of the tournament pending the results of the finale between Detroit and Toronto. … Columbus and Dallas finished the tournament with matching 2-1-0 records. The Maple Leafs could tie the two with a win over the Red Wings this afternoon. ... Columbus went 7 for 9 on the power play the first two games but was 0-4 in this one.
Up Next
The Blue Jackets have concluded the tournament, and the team’s 2023 training camp, presented by OhioHealth, begins Wednesday with the first on-ice action occurring a day later.
