The Blue Jackets wanted to make sure they were ready for a desperate Sabres team Thursday night. Mission accomplished as they beat them 4-1.
From the opening shift, the visitors dictated the pace and put copious amounts of pressure on the Buffalo defense, putting together a string of solid shifts before they broke through less than two minutes into the game. Marian Gaborik – who had the jets on all night – ripped a shot off the crossbar and Ryan Miller lost track of it, allowing Cam Atkinson to swoop in and deposit the Jackets’ first goal at the 1:51 mark.
And from there, they just keep playing their game. Regardless of how cliche it may sound, the Blue Jackets did what they do best: defend first, transport the puck with speed, and sustain pressure in the offensive zone. They shook off a nifty Thomas Vanek equalizer midway through the first period by scoring two more of their own; Buffalo native Nick Foligno scored what stood up as the game-winning goal a few minutes later on a centering pass, and 2:13 after that, Atkinson was at it again and set up Gaborik with a slam-dunk.
But despite a dominant first period by Columbus, the Sabres were still in the hockey game with 40 minutes to play.
They didn’t get a power play chance until late in the game, but Buffalo created some offense early in the middle frame. Bobrovsky was outstanding throughout but did some of his best work in the second period. Brandon Dubinsky’s first of the season just over two minutes into the second put a huge dent into Buffalo’s comeback hopes, as he backhanded a long rebound over Miller’s blocker.
Columbus improved its road record to 2-0-0 with a lockdown third period, and did so by sticking to its guns. The odd-man rushes were non-existent and even though they weren’t able to cash in on a four-minute power play, the Blue Jackets made sure the Sabres didn’t take any momentum from it.
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