The preseason is only two games deep for the Columbus Blue Jackets, so we have to be careful not to overreact to anything. With that said, we cannot overlook the performance we saw from Jet Greaves last night.
The Jackets hosted the Buffalo Sabres at Nationwide Arena, and as you would expect from an early preseason game; neither team iced an NHL heavy lineup.
By my count, each team had 7 skaters that will probably play in the NHL full-time this season. And, both sides rolled out their two apparent NHL goaltenders.
Elvis Merzlikins got the start for the Blue Jackets, and he looked dialed in for the most part. He made some good saves and looked solid in the net, but he did not face many shots and was beaten twice.
It's difficult to fault him on the first goal. Buffalo defenseman Bowen Byram was allowed an uncontested wrist shot from about 45' out, and with plenty of traffic in front. Elvis never saw the puck until it was in the back of the net.
The second goal the Sabres scored last night however, was vintage Merzlikins for all the wrong reasons. He left the crease to play the puck from behind his net, only to throw Adam Fantilli an absolute grenade that resulted in the team being pinned in their own end.
Again, the Sabres used their size to generate traffic, burying a rebound of a point shot off of Elvis' left pad and making it 2-0. This is a goal we've seen far too often over the last few years.
Where was #19 supposed to go with that puck?
At almost exactly the halfway mark of the game, Jet Greaves replaced Merzlikins as planned. I was very interested to see how the young netminder battled coming on in relief not long after the team had surrendered two goals.
Despite the fact that it was a preseason game, this is where you see what guys are made of. Fortunately, Jet picked up right where he left off last season.
Jet Greaves was dialed in.
Right away, there was a different energy in the crease. Greaves immediately looked calm and locked in, with his first sequence being several saves made in rapid succession.
He slammed the door shut on the Sabres, stopping 23 consecutive shots after coming on in relief. Buffalo did not score on him until their final shot of the game - which came after an empty net goal had already sealed the fate of the Blue Jackets.
And, it's hard to fault the goalie when a guy is allowed to walk right down the middle and pick his spot with that much time.
Overall, I thought the team played a pretty uninspired game. For that reason, it's hard to pin the loss on the goaltenders. But, there is a story to tell when you take a look at the box score and compare the two.
Elvis Merzlikins faced 10 shots, surrendering 2 goals for a .800% save percentage in 29:59. Jet Greaves faced 24 shots, surrendering 1 goal for a .958% save percentage in 29:21.
Clearly, the Sabres took the game over as time wore on. But the young goaltender for the Blue Jackets stood in there and held his own, keeping this game from turning into a complete blowout.
That's exactly what we were hoping to see from #73 early in the preseason. He's making an early case for himself to start in goal on opening night.