2022 Columbus Blue Jackets Open Practice and Scrimmages: 5th Line, We're in Great Shape!

You'll likely notice first that this post could've been written a few hours ago, so why didn't I?  Personally, I wanted to process all the promise I saw and review my video's/pictures of the morning.  I've been asked by many readers how we look and now I can answer you myself; we look great to me!  Let me break down why and how I came to such a high expectation.  

Many players stood out to me as improved or just back and as good as we remember from May 2022.  A hometown name we know well, Carson Meyer, had double goals in the opening scrimmage.  Another player I've said to watch from day one, Nick Blankenburg, had double goals of his own.  These two players were key to Team Red passing Team Blue, the final was 6-2.  Other scores from Team Red came from James Malatesta and Martin Rysavy.  Also on Team Red, Elvis Merzlikins did a great job, as expected.  He was backed up by Nolan Lalande.  Switching to Team Blue James Neal and Ben Boyd kept Team Blue from being shutout.  

In this group I feel those who should stand out, as their expected to stay on the roster, did.  These include Merzlikins, Meyer and Blankenburg.  No goals from Brenden Gaunce, Justin Danforth, Eric Robinson, Emil Bemstrom, Jakub Voracek or Jack Roslovic.  However, they were all in the practice and aiding their corresponding teams.  Ben Boyd I'll be curious to see where he ends up, as he's showed promise.  However, this team is stacked higher than a solid game of Janga, so it's hard to foresee who may stay in addition to our big names.  It's also important to keep in mind that, as a public, today is a small piece of the big picture for the coaching staff who will make these vital decisions soon. Many of ttthose big names were very apparent in Team White during Scrimmage 2.  Team White had Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Kent Johnson, Zach Werenski, David Jiricek, Luca Del Bel Belluz, Yegor Chinakhov, Jordan Dumais and others.  (Seriously, the name dropping is strong with this team 5th Line!)  Team White did take on Team Blue for Scrimmage 2.  How this was decided, but my guess is that losing team of Scrimmage 1 played again, but that's not confirmed.  

With that begins said...it was not Team Blue's Morning.  With 1 goal in each half from Laine, combined with goals from Cole Clayton and Yegor Chinakhov, Team Blue had no chance at their second chance today.   Team Blue would come up empty and Team White would have the runaway, 4-0 shutout win. A huge congratulations to their goalies, Jet Greaves and Hayden Stewart on that accomplishment.  

Going back to that Laine double trouble though, because we can and should.  He played out this late morning with Center Kent Johnson and Left-Wing Johnny Gaudreau.  Cole Sillinger is currently out with an Upper Body Injury, but Boone Jenner and himself both looked good with this pair as well.  To me this means one thing, we have a top line that can switch out Center seamlessly.  Let that sink in for a moment and give you chills, just as it did for me while I typed it.  Quite frankly, I can't top this revelation, so I'm just going to leave today's Open Practice Recap there!  

Tomorrow continues the fun 5th Line, as we leave half the team here and half packs it in for Pittsburgh!  Yes, preseason is finally here!  Remember, Game 1 tomorrow is away at the Pittsburgh Penguins, and it will begin at 1:00 PM.  Then it will shift to Nationwide Arena tomorrow night for the second half of our practice squad's split preseason opener, this will begin at 7:00 PM.  You can listen to both games with me on the radio or you can wait for my recaps shortly thereafter.  (If I have to work tomorrow, I'll post and let you know these game recaps will be delayed, but for right now I'm not!)   I've shared the roster for both matchups on my Facebook and Twitter pages, check them out and comment with any questions I may be able to answer!  I do have a few notes I know from Jeff Svoboda, however.  As Boone Jenner, Liam Foudy and Joonas Korpisalo renter the team from season ending injuries, they will miss tomorrow, and we didn't see them today either.  In addition, Cole Sillinger isn't in either lineup for tomorrow, remaining day-to-day until further notice.  As always, I wish them all the best.  

Talk with you all tomorrow 5th Line! 

Go CBJ!

Source:

Jeff Svoboda @JacketsInsider September 24, 2022  Blue Jackets fans come out in droves for open practice (nhl.com)   (Used as a reference for goals and injury report only.)