The Columbus Blue Jackets started a huge weekend of home games when the Buffalo Sabres and their 10-game winning streak came to Nationwide Arena. It started as well as it could have with a decisive win.
Brendan Gaunce scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal shorthanded in the first period and the Blue Jackets cruised from there. They put an end to the Sabres’ winning streak with a 5-1 win in front of a sellout crowd of 18,809 Saturday afternoon.
The story of this game was the Blue Jackets’ work on the defensive end in multiple areas of their game.
Game Recap
It only took the Blue Jackets three minutes to open the scoring. Denton Mateychuk accepted a drop pass from Boone Jenner. Mateychuk’s shot was perfectly placed at the far post. It beat Sabres’ goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for the 1-0 lead.
The Blue Jackets were in early control until a turnover in their own zone led to the tying goal. The Josh’s connected as Norris found Doan across the crease for a 1-1 game.
Then in what turned out to be the key turning point in the game, the Blue Jackets made it 2-1. Goalie Jet Greaves made a big save at one end. Then while shorthanded, Gaunce took advantage of Tage Thompson falling. The breakaway goal was converted and gave the Blue Jackets momentum they ultimately wouldn’t relinquish.
Just three minutes later, Dmitri Voronkov scored through Luukkonen’s pads. The puck just barely cleared the line before Bo Byram swept it away. 3-1 was the score after the first.
The Blue Jackets played a solid second period defensively not allowing the Sabres much time or space. At 8:04 of the period, Mathieu Olivier drove down the ice and beat multiple Sabres’ defenders and Luukkonen for a 4-1 lead. Shots after two were 27-21 Blue Jackets.
Would the Blue Jackets finally figure the third period out after what happened Wednesday night? Not only did they figure it out, they put on a clinic locking the Sabres and the game down.
The only goal of the third was scored on an empty netter by Cole Sillinger. After Ivan Provorov and Zach Benson got offsetting penalties, coach Lindy Ruff pulled Luukkonen for a 5-on-4 advantage. Sillinger took advantage for a 5-1 lead.
Greaves made that hold up. He finished the game with 32 saves and is now 3-0 all-time against the Sabres. The Blue Jackets’ penalty kill, which was awful at the start of the season, turned in a 5 for 5 performance Saturday. Since the middle of December, they’ve been one of the best penalty kills in the NHL.
Postgame, Zach Werenski said their penalty kill was a big reason for their win. He also recorded two assists making it four games in a row with multi-point games.
The loss marked Jarmo Kekalainen’s first loss as general manager of the Sabres.
The Blue Jackets are right back at it Sunday afternoon when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Nationwide Arena. The Sabres will now get a couple days off before hosting the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night looking to start a new streak.
