St. Louis Blues @ Columbus Blue Jackets: 2023 Preseason Game 5 Recap

Period 1 tonight was a Columbus Blue Jackets' Goal-Scoring Clinic. Captain Boone Jenner would get his team off to an incredible 1-0 start at 5:32 into the first period of play. The only assist on this goal would be Alexander Texier's, and it's still so good to be typing that name again! Our next goal would be a beauty from the newly returned Kirill Marchenko at 14:51. It's good to see him back and scoring on the ice after his time away earlier this preseason due to a minor back injury. Patrik Laine would have the primary assist on this Marchenko goal, whereas the secondary assist would come from Damon Severson. So, 2-0 would turn into a 3-0 Blue Jackets lead at 17:24, thanks to a goal from Justin Danforth. Again, this is another player we lost early into last season and never returned, but we sure missed! Dmitri Veronkov would have the only assist on this Danforth goal, and the Blue Jackets would have the best possible start in this game. 

Period 2 would continue the scoring for the Blue Jackets as Cole Sillinger would make his case for staying on the NHL Roster this season. His goal would come just 4:43 into the second period. Damon Severson would have his second assist this evening, and Ivon Provorov would make his mark on the game with the secondary assist on this goal. Unfortunately, the Blues would not lay down and let the Blue Jackets skate all over them tonight in Nationwide Arena, and they would score twice before this period closed. The first goal would come from Jakub Vrana at 11:20, and the second would come from Sammy Blais at 13:58. The Blue Jackets would maintain a two-goal lead after 40 minutes, though, as they'd take a 4-2 score into the final regulation period. 

The lead against the Blues in St. Louis and here tonight was tarnished by penalties. The Blues would gain another and come within a goal at 2:50 by Jakub Vrana; this would be his second tonight. Not long after this, the Blues would make a mistake and give us a powerplay chance, but this would result in no score, and we'd remain at a slim 4-3 Blue Jackets lead. It would take till the last few seconds of this game for another score to happen, and it would be our Johnny Gaudreau! This would be an empty net at 18:40, and the only assist would be Ivan Provorov's second tonight. The Columbus Blue Jackets win tonight 5-3!  

Observations

I've seen and heard enough to make a few key points about where we are as a team. First, we have to get control of the penalties we face. Yes, the opposition will challenge you, and you'll slip up occasionally. That said, shooting yourself in the foot can be avoided. 

Another thing I want to point out. Saturday, the blame for the lost lead was placed on goaltender Elvis Merzlikins by several fans on social media. Tonight, Jet Greaves was on point and making an excellent argument to stay and play in the NHL this season, and yet, a four-goal lead evaporated to one. It's disappointing when these things happen; believe me, I cringe when I think about recapping it. That said, the goaltender isn't solely at fault for a blown lead; remember, this is a team sport. Merzlikins played half of that game in St. Louis, whereas Greaves played the entire game tonight. Greaves numbers in the net are higher for this reason, but the result is this: If we can't keep the puck out of our zone and defend our goalie, the other team will score. The best goalie in the NHL could be in net; if we don't protect him and give him a chance to not constantly be focused, goals will happen. A goalie is the last line of defense, not the only one, and things like this will continue to happen until we get a solid line ahead of our net. Once the NHL Roster is set, this will be easier to figure out.    

To end this blog on a high note, the lines will be incredible once the NHL Opening Night Roster is set. I also think that Jet Greaves will play in the NHL this season. Tonight, his Save Percentage was .923, and he played the entire game. Also, he played the whole game, keeping the puck out and making highlight saves till the final buzzer. He has a future in this league, and I desperately want it to be with us. Good things are cooking, 5th Line; it just depends on how long the cake takes to bake!  

Go CBJ!