Columbus Blue Jackets @ Buffalo Sabers: 2024-25 NHL Season Game 54

This team has drastically changed between the start of our last game at the Dallas Stars and the start of this game at the Buffalo Sabers. I hope we see Zach Werenski back next game and sincerely wish Kirill Marchenko a speedy and easy recovery from his broken jaw and Dante Fabro a speedy and easy recovery from what many believe to be a concussion. The last game was a costly loss, but I hope to see the younger players and the future of this team rise to the occasion as I believe they can.    

The first period would see just one goal and it would belong to the hosting Sabers. This goal would belong to B. Byram and would become his sixth goal this season. His goal would come at 10:07 into the opening period. The primary assist would go to J. Zucker and become his twenty-first off the season while the secondary would belong to T. Tuch and this would become his twenty-second of the season. The Jackets had some good chances, but the biggest moment of the period would by far belong to Mathieu Olivier who fought D. Gilbert just 00:03 into the game! Why? The Sabeers took a lot of heat after not helping or standing up for T. Thompson after he was run over in their last game against Devils S. Noesen. So, naturally, they would fight one of our guys who did nothing wrong...I don't really get it, but just know Olivier did his job in this instance, trust me. It was a good fight on both sides. Both men took a five-minute penalty for the fight. The Sabers would close this period with a 1-0 lead. 

Kent Johnson, who has been impressive this season, would tie the game early into period two with his sixteenth goal of the season. The spinning motion with a backhand shot finish goal would be scored at 1:47 and give James van Riemsdyk his fourteenth assist this season on the primary and give Ivan Provorov his ninettnth assist this season on the secondary. Unfortunately, the Sabers would double up after this with a goal first from A. Tuch. number seventeen this season, at 12:17. With a primary assist for D. Gilbert, he now has three this season, and a secondary assist for B. Byram, who now has twenty-first this season. The next goal for the Sabers would be added at 18:58 and also come from A. Tuch, giving him nineteen this season and putting himself on hatty watch. R. Dahlin would add his thirty-fourth assist on the season with the primary while J. Zucker would add his twenty-second on the secondary. There would only be three goals this period, and the Sabers would take a two-goal lead into the third period at home. 

Ivan Provorov would again step into the void left by Zach Werenski, splitting the home team's lead in half at 12:38 with his fifth goal this season. The primary assist would go to Damon Severson, giving him fifteen this season while the secondary would go to Luca Del Bel Belluz, his sixth this season. Later in the period, the Jackets would pull Elvis Merzzliks for a six-on-five advantage and this team pushed like we've seen all season. The Jackets would ultimately lose this game 3-2, but the fight this team still has after losing many key pieces after the last game is inspiring. 

Honorable mention tonight to Ivan Provorov who had a 1-1-2 night. 

With any luck, maybe Werenski will be able to play on Thursday night when the team comes home to play again in Columbus on Thursday. For the first time at Nationwide Arena, we'll host the Utah Hockey Club. The puck will drop at 7:00 p.m. 

Go CBJ!  








  

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