Blue Jackets fall to Red Wings in Traverse City

The Blue Jackets saw their record at the annual
NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
, fall to 1-1 this year as Columbus dropped a 5-2 decision to Detroit on Friday afternoon.

Quote of the Game

Blue Jackets Traverse City head coach Trent Vogelhuber: "That was (Detroit's) first game of the tournament so they came out with their legs, obviously. I thought we did a pretty good job in the first period. We had a little offensive confidence and swagger from yesterday, so I thought maybe as the game went on especially we started to do a little bit too much. We got a little bit fancy through the neutral zone, which created some turnovers, and didn't take advantage of our opportunities. We didn't shoot enough from prime scoring areas, passing out of it."

CBJ Standouts

• 2021 first-round pick Kent Johnson had a goal and an assist to up his stat line to 2-3-5 through two games in Traverse City.
• 2018 second-rounder Kirill Marchenko scored for the second consecutive game.
• Cleveland Monsters signee Pavel Cajan had a solid first game in net, making 25 saves in the loss.

Quick Recap

The teams were even through 20 minutes, with Detroit putting Columbus in its first hole of the 2022 tournament before the Blue Jackets answered. The Wings took the 1-0 lead at the 7:14 mark as the team won a faceoff back to the blue line and Jeremie Biakabutuka let go a shot that Piercey tipped by Cajan. But just 2:46 later at the exact midpoint of the first period, Mikael Pyyhtia let go a shot that Detroit goalie Sebastian Cossa stopped, but Johnson was there to put the rebound home.

Columbus had some pretty good chances in the opening half of the second period but Cossa and his replacement, Andrew Oke, stood tall. Finally, the Wings broke the deadlock, taking a 2-1 lead with 8:05 to play in the period off a nice passing play that ended with Piercey firing home from the left side. Detroit then extended the lead to 3-1 with 3:35 to go in the third on the power play, as Cross Hanas got the puck to the net and Drew Worrad tipped it past Cajan.
In the third, Piercey finished his hat trick when he scored on a breakaway with 8:27 to go, but Columbus answered quickly when Jordan Dumais threw a puck to the front of the net that Marchenko quickly slid past Oke to make it a 4-2 game. But Piercey's fourth goal of the night off a tip-in from the netfront with 5:16 to go ended any hopes of a CBJ comeback.

Jeff's Quick Takeaways

1. Johnson finished with one less point than he did in Thursday's win, but he said he felt a lot more chemistry with Marchenko and felt that line -- which even lost Pyyhtia to a facial injury in the first period -- was a lot more dangerous than in the first game. I'd have to agree, as well as with the sentiment Vogelhuber had that Johnson was the best player on the ice. The Blue Jackets drafted him fifth overall in the 2021 draft with the hopes he'd be a special offensive player, and it's not hard to see why in Traverse City. Johnson was expected to have a big tournament and certainly has done so through two games.
   2. All good things eventually must come to an end, and the Blue Jackets' six-game winning streak here in Traverse City that dates back to 2019 has come to a close. Everything that was so easy in Thursday's dominant win over St. Louis was a lot harder on this night as the Red Wings could skate with Columbus in a way the Blues could not and also backed it up with excellent goaltending out of both Cossa and Oke. Vogelhuber was left frustrated a bit by the team's proclivity for trying to make the fancy play at times in this one, as the Jackets did pass their way out of a few prime scoring chances, but you'll have that at times in hockey.
   3. At the end of the day, though, the result isn't really the most important thing in the world here. It's about getting the young CBJ players comfortable with one another and having a good time while also letting them have a chance to shine as well. Through a few games, it's easy to see why such players as Johnson, Marchenko and first-round picks David Jiricek and Denton Mateychuk were so highly thought of when chosen by the Jackets, as their skills on the ice have been pretty obvious through two games. No matter what happened today, the Blue Jackets have a solid core of young talent to build around.

Notable

Dumais now has three points (two goals and an assist) in the tournament. He spent most of the time on the CBJ first line after the Pyyhtia injury. … Detroit defenseman Biakabutuka, the nephew of former standout University of Michigan tailback Tim Biakabutuka, finished with a pair of helpers.

Roster Report

Columbus made two changes to its lineup, inserting free-agent invite center Samuel Huo for Roman Ahcan and placing Cleveland Monsters signee Cole Clayton on the blue line in place of Marcus Bjork. Vogelhuber also said postgame that Pyyhtia may have needed some dental work thanks to catching the stick up high but would be fine.

Up Next

Columbus takes on Toronto at 2 p.m. Sunday to complete its schedule at the NHL Prospect Tournament.