The CBJ Writer

With a loaded roster, the Columbus Blue Jackets would face off against the Washington Capitals in the last preseason game of 2025. Unfortunately, the Capitals would be the first on the board with a goal at 8:25 from Conner McMichael. David Gucciardi and Tome Wilson would come away with the first Capitals' assists of the evening. The Capitals would then double up with the final goal of the period at 17:25. This goal would be the first power play goal of the game as well, and the credit would go to Andrew Cristall. Conner McMichael would become the first player of the night with a multi-point night, scoring the primary assist on the second Capitals' goal. The secondary assist would go to Daclan Chisholm. The Blue Jackets would go into Period 2 without a goal, but that would quickly change.  For the first time this preseason, the cannon would go BOOM for Captain Boone Jenner! His goal would be the first power play goal of the evening for the Jackets, and he'd score it at 7:52....

What an emotional, memorable night in Pittsburgh, and what an honor for the Columbus Blue Jackets to be a part of it. It's an honor to write about Marc-Andre Fleury's final NHL game. The man is and will always be a legend of the game with his 575 wins in net and over 1,00 games both played and started. Tonight, after signing a PTO with the team 1st in 2023, Fleury, nicknamed Flower, would complete his career, and damn, it was emotional and the best exit from the NHL I've ever seen. That said, before I get ahead of myself, we have to recap two periods of rivalry hockey before Fleury took the ice, so let's go!  Period 1 would see Elvis Merzlikins in the net for the visiting Blue Jackets, while Sergei Murashov would hold the home net. Luca Del Bel Belluz would score at the end of period 1, giving the Jackets a 1-0 lead at 16:08. Yegor Chinakov would continue to impress with the primary assist on this goal, while Corson Ceulemans would come away with the secondary assist fo...

It's always a party when the rival Pittsburgh Penguins come to town, even if it is preseason! The Blue Jackets would also feature more veterans in the lineup tonight, and it was a fun preview of what's to come this 25th Season of Blue Jackets Hockey. At 9:45, the Penguins would hop on the scoreboard first as Zach Gallant would score his first goal of his preseason campaign. Ville Koivunen would have the only assist on this goal, and it would be the first of his preseason campaign. After getting back into the groove of being on the ice, Yegor Chinakov would score his first goal of the preseason, tying the game at 1-1. His goal would make the cannon go BANG at 17:24. In his first period of the preseason, Zach Werenski would add his first assist, while Dante Fabro would do the same, picking up his first assist on the secondary. The opening period would conclude with that 1-1 score.  The Blue Jackets would come out charged and ready to score in Period 2. Jake Christiansen would get...

After a shutout at home, even in the preseason, there's only one way to go, and that's up. Learn from the mistakes made by fellow teammates and improve. It sounds simple, but if that were the case, winners and losers wouldn't exist, and there wouldn't be a push to constantly improve. Tonight, I'm thrilled to say that, although at times you might question it, the Blue Jackets did pack the offense last night when leaving Columbus for Buffalo. Period 1 would end with a 0-0 tie, but the Blue Jackets had some good chances at scoring and led shots on goal 12-10. They had a chance on the power play, which didn't amount to a goal, but the Sabers had two chances on the power play, and they had no goals either. So, all in all, I'll take it for an opening period.  Period 2 would be interesting for the Blue Jackets to say the very least. With the first shot on goal in the period for the visiting team, Miles Wood would tip a rocket shot in from Daemon Hunt, putting a hug...

 Last night's first win in Nationwide Arena, 4-1 over the St. Louis Blues, was the best way to kick off the 2025 NHL Preseason. Tonight would promise to be just as exciting as we'd see veteran players such as Adam Fantilli, Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson, Elvis Merzlikins, and Jet Greaves. Bonus, it's so nice to hear Zach Aston-Reese in the game again, as he missed the last of the 2024-25 NHL Season due to injury.  The game would start with Elvis Merzlikins in the net for the Jackets, facing off against Alexander Georgiev and his Sabers. The opening period would see both goalies focused, not letting the few pucks that reached them pass them. There would only be 12 total shots on net for the full period, 8 belonging to the home team, and just 4 belonging to the visitors. This period's most exciting moment would come with less than three minutes left to play in the period, as former Blue Jacket turned Saber, Josh Dunn, and current Blue Jacket, Max CcCue, would get into th...

Thank you so much for being patient, 5th Line. I got to listen to this exciting win at work, but had to wait until I got home to do the recap for you all. Period 1 would conclude with a 0-0 tie, but Period 2 would see the Blue Jackets get on the board in a big way. Brendan Gaunce would score his first goal of the preseason since rejoining the franchise at 2:41. Dimitri Voronkov would add the only assist, his first of the preseason, on this goal. Luca Del Bel Belluz would then make it 2-0 with his first goal of the preseason at 15:42. Jake Christiansen would add his first assist of the preseason with the primary, while Dimitri Voronkov would add his second on the secondary. The St. Louis Blues would get a goal back at 16:58 as Niita Alexandro would score his first goal of his preseason. Justin Carbonneau would add his first assist of the preseason on the primary, while Milan Lucic would add his first assist of the preseason on the secondary. So, the Blue Jackets would take a one-goal le...

It's been an eventful offseason for the Columbus Blue Jackets, but now it's time to get to work on the franchise's 25th season. Tomorrow night, the Columbus Blue Jackets will host the St. Louis Blues in their first preseason game. This game will start at 5:00 p.m., and I'll have a recap for you afterward. The following night, September 22nd, we'll welcome the Buffalo Sabers to Nationwide Arena at 7:00 p.m. and then go to Buffalo, New York, on September 23rd for a game at 7:00 p.m. But, wait, there's more! On the 24th, we'll welcome the rival Pittsburgh Penguins to Nationwide Arena. So, for those who've been missing hockey, aka everyone reading this, you're about to get four consecutive nights of Blue Jackets hockey to crush that hunger! There will be three more preseason games following these four, and I'll let you know the details surrounding those once we get through this four-game block. It's been a fun summer and nice to have some time of...