First Game For Columbus Blue Jackets Prospects Ends In Loss

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Columbus Blue Jackets vs Buffalo Sabres: First Game Of The Traverse City Tournament For The Blue Jackets

I took in the first Traverse City Tournament game via the “radio”, as much of you probably did this afternoon as well. Funny how listening to a game on the radio has turned into listening to it on the computer. I am sure there were many Sabres fans who actually listened to the game through an actual radio since it was a local radio station who broadcast the game.

It was great to be able to listen to the game though, it took me back to my childhood, no I am not ridiculously old, just never had cable to watch games. Okay, moving into the game analysis.

The Blue Jackets prospects did not have a good start. Within minutes the Sabres went up one to nothing. Then, just minutes later, Buffalo went up by two. The first five or so minutes was dominated by Buffalo, but once Columbus settled down and realized they were actually playing a hockey game, they seemed to turned it around.

The Blue Jackets got one back in the first period. Dillion Heatherington (2013, 2nd round) tipped in a rebound to pull the Blue Jackets within one. Boone Jenner was in on the play, and was actually credited for the goal at first, but was later accredited with an assist.

The Sabres pulled back ahead by two goals (on a power play I believe) in the second period making it three to one. It was Alex Aleardi who brought Columbus back within one goal. Aleardi’s goal was a short handed goal. That made the score three to two going into the third period. (Alex Aleardi was never drafted, signed with the Springfield Falcons)

The third period moved by quick and was pretty much back and forth with a lot of neutral play. The announcers described the play several times as very scrambled. The Blue Jackets ended up pulling Dansk, but it just wasn’t enough to put one more goal in the back of the net. Sabres win the game by the score of three to two.

Speaking of Dansk (2012, 2nd round), it seemed as if he put out a rebound every time the puck came at him, which is never a good sign. In between periods, the announcers described his play much like Henrik Lundqvist, playing far back in the net. A great goalie to be compared to, playing big and deep in your net can be beneficial, but you can’t let out a lot of rebounds because they will be left right on the door step for an easy tap in.

June 22, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Ryan Murray is selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2012 NHL Draft at CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The two big names who I thought I would hear more of, Boone Jenner and Ryan Murray, did not turn up as much as I expected. Maybe it was the Buffalo announcers concentrating on the Sabres prospects, or it could have been me, or maybe they really weren’t relevant in the game. Now that I think about it though, I did hear Jenner more than Murray. The power play was really the only time that I heard Murray’s name quite a bit, which isn’t a surprise. If Columbus is going to step it up in this tournament and win a few games, Jenner and Murray need to pick it up and lead this team.

Overall, for the first game of this tournament, playing a Buffalo Sabres team that is fairly deep, they did pretty well. They didn’t give up in the first period, and they fought back, in the end though it just wasn’t enough. Keep the physical play up, help Dansk out more and clear the puck better in front of our own net, and crash the net more to create scoring chances.

Next Game: September 6th (tomorrow), 3:30 PM vs Carolina Hurricanes