Many AHL guys were called up before this game and were all inserted into the line up for this one. The CBJ had six NHL regulars (Wennberg, Anderson, Harrington, Kukan, Nutivaara and Merzlikins) playing against a mostly NHL roster of Sabres. While Columbus lost, they battled and scored the equalizer with late in the 3rd to force OT. Turnovers were key to most-if-not-all the Buffalo goals.
Nathan Gerbe turned in an excellent performance, opening the scoring with a true effort goal and forcing OT with a redirection late. He certainly made the most of his second opportunity this preseason.
Lets talk about Scott Harrington. Many fans on this and other sites are adamant that he does not belong in the NHL, others think he is as solid as they come for a bottom pair guy. He had some costly turnovers last night, against a team that struggled last year and may not be too much better this year (although I could be wrong). I felt he served his purpose last year in the playoffs when the D-corp was depleted with injuries. My hope is that he can take a game like this and learn from it rather than get frustrated by it.
I'm not sure we learned a ton about the NHL Blue Jackets from this game with one exception. Josh Anderson, given an expanded role, can make an impact on an NHL game. Last season his role varied from game to game, but I think the same was true then as well. He contributes more when he has more ice time. That seems like a logical statement for any NHL player, but he is making a statement for a more influential role over a guy like Dubi or Foligno or Nash.
My 3 Guys
Coming out of camp and preseason I am really rooting for 3 guys to have an impact on this CBJ roster and in the league. It would be easy to say that Tex is going to score 20 goals or that Bemstrom plays 50+ games or that Elvis becomes the starting goaltender. And while those things may happen I'm looking a little deeper at this roster.
On defense, where their is a log-jam of talent, I'm rooting for Peeke to be the next young guy to unexpectedly play a key part of a top defensive unit in the NHL. He could end up in the line up for several reason, guys ahead of him under-performing or injuries, but that is not what I am hoping for. His talent could lift him higher in the line up as the season progresses and result in strengthening an already good/great back end.
Sonny Milano has a scoring touch and has proven it in the past. Could he score 20 goals in the NHL this season? Maybe. If that happens it could be for not-so-good reasons, like the CBJ being horribly bad this season. What I am rooting for is him to end up as part of a high-scoring 3rd line with him being the trigger-man. Ten to fifteen goals and regular play would be a successful season for him.
Korpi becomes the #1 that this team needs. Much has been made of Elvis coming to play in North America. He has played well internationally on undermanned Latvian teams. And his play has given the internet many highlights, but he has mostly been given a pass on not winning internationally because the rest of the team wasn't all that talented. Taking absolutely nothing away from Elvis, I hope Korpi proves his worth to this team. He has mostly been overlooked and an afterthought on this roster. With good reason most of the time as his play hasn't warranted much consideration as a top goaltender. I'm rooting for him to make the most of his chance this season and finally be that #1 backstop.
Thanks for reading.