COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS VS. BUFFALO SABRES
CBJ TV: No TV Game will be streamed live at BlueJackets.com/CBJ App (Columbus TV area only)
CBJ Radio: 97.1 The Fan Bob McElligott (play-by-play)
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS (1-0-0, 2 pts./H: 0-0-0, 0 pts./A: 1-0-0, 2 pts.)
2020-21 Record: 18-26-12, 48 pts. (8th, Discover Central Division)… Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
Goals: 2.39 Goals-For/3.29 Goals-Against… Shots: 29.0 Shots-For/32.4 Shots-Against
Power Play: 15.4 percent (27th, NHL)… Penalty Kill: 79.0 percent (20th-T, NHL)
Penalty Minutes: 7.0 PIM (5th-T, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout): 6-9-3 (3-3)
Leaders: RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (Led club in goals, assists and points with 18-26-44 in 56 GP)… D Zach Werenski (Led club defensemen in goals with 7-13-20 in 35 GP)… G Elvis Merzlikins (8-12-5, 2.77 GAA, .916 SV%, 2 SO in 28 GP).
BUFFALO SABRES
2020-21 Record: 15-34-7, 37 pts. (8th, Mass Mutual East Division)… Playoffs: Did Not Qualify
Goals: 2.39 Goals-For/3.50 Goals-Against… Shots: 28.4 Shots-For/33.7 Shots-Against
Power Play: 21.0 percent (12th, NHL)… Penalty Kill: 77.7 percent (26th, NHL)
Penalty Minutes: 6.1 PIM (1st, NHL)… Overtime Record (Shootout): 4-4-3 (4-3)
Leading Returnees: LW Victor Olofsson (Led club in assists with 13-19-32 in 56 GP)… D Rasmus Dahlin (Led club defensemen in scoring with 5-18-23 in 56 GP)… G Dustin Tokarski (2-8-2, 3.54 GAA, .914 SV%, 0 SO GP).
ALL-TIME SERIES
Results: Columbus has gone 20-12-3 in 35 all-time meetings, including 10-5-1 at home and 10-7-2 on the road… Of Note: The teams did not meet during the 2020-21 season… Columbus went 1-0-2 vs. Buffalo in 2019-20… The Blue Jackets have gone 7-3-2 in the past 15 regular season meetings dating back to the start of the 2013-14 season, including a 2-0-2 mark in the past four… Each team has recorded three shutouts in the series (CBJ: Sergei Bobrovsky, 38 saves on Mar. 31, 2019; BUF: Robin Lehner, 38 saves on Feb. 19, 2016 – most recent)… No Blue Jacket or Sabre has recorded a hat trick in the all-time series.
CBJ VS. BUF, 2021-22
AT COLUMBUS: December 23 (7 p.m.)
At Buffalo: November 22 (7 p.m.); December 20 (7 p.m.)
CBJ PRESEASON NOTES
The Blue Jackets opened their eight-game preseason schedule with a 3-0 victory in Pittsburgh on Monday… Yegor Chinakhov, Adam Boqvist and Emil Bemstrom (empty net) each scored while J-F Berube (20 saves) and Jet Greaves (eight saves) combined for the shutout… Columbus and Buffalo meet again in the preseason on Oct. 4 at KeyBank Center (7 p.m.)… Columbus also play home-and-home sets vs. the Penguins (Sept. 27 at PIT, Oct. 9 at CBJ), St. Louis Blues (Sept. 29 at CBJ, Oct. 8 at STL) and Detroit Red Wings (Oct. 2 at DET, Oct. 6 at CBJ).
CBJ NEXT FIVE DAYS
WED/SEPT. 29 10 a.m.-12:10 p.m. – Practices & Off-Ice Workouts
7 p.m. – vs. ST. LOUIS BLUES, NATIONWIDE ARENA
THU/SEPT. 30 NO PRACTICES SCHEDULED
FRI/OCT. 1 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – Practices & Off-Ice Workouts
SAT/OCT. 2 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m. – Practices & Off-Ice Workouts
7 p.m. – at Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Arena
SUN/OCT. 3 11 a.m.-1:45 p.m. – Practices & Off-Ice Workouts
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