Final Score: Sabres 3 – Blue Jackets 1
Game Summary
When looking ahead at the January schedule this was a game everyone had penciled in as an easy two points. Even injured, this is a game the Blue Jackets should win easily. The Blue Jackets also caught a break as Buffalo started Linus Ullmark, in place of the injured Robin Lehner. Ullmark was making his season debut.
With all that going on you have to wonder if the Jackets took this game a little too easily. They dominated the shot counter, outshooting Buffalo 45-29, but very few of these shots were taken from the slot. At 5 on 5 the Jackets had a decisive edge in Corsi at 61.68% but were an even 50% in scoring chances and had just a 7-6 edge in high danger chances. Buffalo’s defence is quite frankly not very good. They should not have kept the Blue Jackets to outside like they did. The Jackets seemed content to stay to the outside and you have to wonder if they thought they could beat an inexperienced goalie from long range.
Take a look at the heat map from the game. The areas with the dark blue, indicating more shot attempts are from each point. There is very little in the slot and nothing from the high slot. Compare that to Buffalo and sure they don’t have much red on the map, but everything is condensed to the slot and right in tight on the goalie.
The game winning goal for Buffalo came off a bad bounce and was kind of a fluke, but the game never should have been this close.
There is a reason for the face and it is because of this insane bounce. #CBJ pic.twitter.com/Czw5DajFky
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 12, 2018
The one bright spot for Columbus was the highlight reel goal by Artemi Panarin. Panarin on the power play walked through the whole Buffalo PK unit and ripped a backhand by Ullmark.
Panarin is a one-man wrecking crew. What an individual effort.
— 1st Ohio Battery (@1stOhioBattery) January 12, 2018
Wow.#CBJ pic.twitter.com/VWnPZc8544
This is the kind of stuff that should have been happening all game. The Jackets have a ton of skill and should have been taking advantage of that. They didn’t and hopefully they learned their lesson and won’t have the same thing happen tonight when they take on the Vancouver Canucks.
Stat of the Night
Worth noting that #CBJ D Jack Johnson played only 13:43 on Thursday in Buffalo. That’s the lowest ice time total he’s ever registered since joining Columbus in 2011-12 season. (Not including games he left with injury).
— Aaron Portzline (@Aportzline) January 12, 2018
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick and Hockey-Reference.
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