The Columbus Blue Jackets took the lead at the 1:51 mark of the first period and never looked back on their way to a 4-1 victory over the Sabres. The loss drops the Sabres to a 0-4-1 record to start the early season. Cam Atkinson scored the first goal for the Blue Jackets off a rebound in front of the net. Vanek tied the game up seven minutes later on a nifty between the legs shot that was reminiscent of the goal Thomas Hertl scored a couple nights before. From there, Columbus just took over on the score sheet as Nick Foligno scored at the 16 minute mark to make it 2-1 and Marian Gaborik scored two minutes later to make it 3-1. Brandon Dubinsky finished the scoring for Columbus in the second period.
The Sabres defense just looked horrid with both Tyler Myers and Mike Weber standing out as the worst of the bunch. Starting the game together, the pair was on the ice of the first three Columbus goals, were split up shortly after and Weber found himself on the ice for Columbus’ fourth goal as well. Only Christian Ehrhoff was the lone plus guy for the team.
Hesitation was the buzz word coming out of the locker room after the game. Tyler Myers, Mike Weber, and Marcus Foligno all used the word when talking with the media after the game. “It’s very hesitant out there. It looks like we are scared to make plays, so we’re ultimately chipping along pucks which is not necessarily a bad play at certain times. But, there are plays out there to be made and it all starts with defensive positioning,” Myers said after the game.
Three Things To Watch For
1. Can The Sabres Actually Close Out A Game?
Unknown. The Sabres never really had a chance to start. The team got down early, rallied back to tie it and then the Blue Jackets opened the offensive firehose and the Sabres couldn’t recover. We would have a better answer if the game was close.
2. How will Ryan Miller look in his return?
The Sabres defense really left him high and dry on most of the Blue Jackets’ goals but overall, he looked decent in the return. His final stat line was 29 saves on 33 shots but looked a little bit better than the numbers state. He had a couple glove saves that kept this game from getting away
3.) Who will win the battle of the Foligno brothers?
Clearly this matchup goes to Nick as he gets one assist away from the Gordie Howe hat trick while brother Marcus had two minors, a shot on goal, and finished -1 on the ice.
Three Stars of the Game
1. Marian Gaborik – One goal and two assists in 16:15 of ice time.
2. Cam Atkinson – One goal and one assist in 14:50 of ice time.
3. Sergei Bobrovsky – 26 saves on 27 shots in the winning effort.
Comment of the night
-43 for the game, put us on the pk, and fought a teammates brother
Great game for Weber
– Stephen Schmidt