Bannister said Thomas' turnover was just one of a collection of mistakes by the Blues.
"The entry, we had guys pulling up when we should have been driving to the net to open up the plays that were coming late, and it would have opened up,” Bannister said. “But for some reason, we decided to pull up just inside the blue line instead of finishing routes to the net."
Merzlikins made his best save of the game at 1:18 of the third period, kicking out his right pad on a rebound in front to keep the game scoreless.
“Elvis was solid," Vincent said. "Made a key save, an unbelievable save at the key time."
The Blue Jackets appeared to take a 1-0 lead at 18:15 of the second period when the officials ruled Boone Jenner’s shot a goal, but it was quickly overturned after a review showed the puck hit the post.
"I think they competed hard, clogged up the middle a lot," St. Louis forward Brandon Saad said. "We were playing too much perimeter hockey. They did a good job checking. We obviously didn't have our best game."
NOTES: Columbus forward Adam Fantilli, the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, missed his first game of the season after his left leg was cut by a skate in the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday. Fantilli will be reevaluated by the Blue Jackets when the team arrives home on Wednesday. … Voronkov scored his 12th goal of the season. He is tied with Fantilli for third among rookies, behind Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks (15) and Marco Rossi of the Minnesota Wild (13). … Werenski (193) passed Nick Foligno (102) for the third-most assists in Blue Jackets history.