MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets Vs
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MEDIA CLIPS Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Buffalo Sabres October 7, 2019 Columbus Blue Jackets Blue Jackets' Elvis Merzlikins, Vladislav Gavrikov make regular-season debuts By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019 PITTSBURGH — If the Blue Jackets are to remain competitive, their European rookies will need to make significant contributions. If it takes them a while, talent will not be the biggest hurdle. More likely, it will be adjusting to the NHL’s challenging combination of speed and talent crammed onto a smaller ice rink than any European league. Two of them made their NHL regular-season debuts Friday in a season-opening 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and two more debuted Saturday night at the Pittsburgh Penguins. “I was a little bit nervous the first period,” said forward Emil Bemstrom, who played 9:10 against Toronto and was right back in the lineup against the Penguins. “I mean, it’s so much faster than back in Sweden and players are obviously better here, so that’s the biggest difference.” Along with Bemstrom, 26-year-old Swedish rookie forward Jakob Lilja played his first NHL game Friday, too, logging 7:58 and playing on both the fourth and first lines. “Players in exhibition games still play hard, but it’s a little bit different,” said Lilja, who also stayed in the lineup Saturday on the fourth line. “It goes up a level when the (regular season) starts.” Bemstrom and Lilja were joined by 20-year-old Alexandre Texier, who played just the third and fourth NHL regular- season games of his career this weekend. Texier made his debut for the Jackets last season in the penultimate game of the regular season at the New York Rangers. Opening night Friday at Nationwide Arena, however, had his pulse racing even faster. “It was maybe just me,” said Texier, who started out on the third line against Pittsburgh. “Last year was different and it was different in the playoffs, too. But I feel really good right now and I know what to expect. So, just keep going.” Goalie Elvis Merzlikins and defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov made their regular-season debuts in Pittsburgh — joining Texier, Bemstrom and Lilja — and it’s a whole new world for all of them. “I think it got better and better each period,” Bemstrom said. “It’s probably going to take some games to get used to it, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m looking forward to staying in this league and I want to be a part of the Blue Jackets.” Defensive depth Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella wasted no time using his full assortment of eight defensemen, replacing his third pairing from the opener Friday with two fresh faces. Scott Harrington and Markus Nutivaara watched as healthy scratches, while Gavrikov and Dean Kukan entered the lineup. Merzlikins also got the nod over Joonas Korpisalo, who started against the Maple Leafs. “With a back-to-back early on, I wanted to get both of them in,” Tortorella said of his goalies. “Harry and Nuti are coming out (too) and we’re putting the other two (defensemen) in. Our camp has been that close and that good, as far as our back end, so they’re going to get a chance to play a game tonight.” Memorable moments Texier’s parents, who live in his hometown of Grenoble, France, attended the season opener. It was the latest of their long-distance trips to see their son play in the NHL. They also attended his Blue Jackets debut last season in New York, followed by a playoff game at Nationwide Arena. “It was cool,” Texier said. “They did everything for me since I was a kid. I was really happy, especially off the ice. It was only a couple days, but it was a good time.” Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019 Penguins 7, Blue Jackets 2 | Elvis Merzlikins has a debut to forget By Brian Hedger, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019 PITTSBURGH — It’s usually a house of horrors for the Blue Jackets, and PPG Paints Arena lived up to it again Saturday night. After playing a solid first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the proverbial wheels on the Jackets’ bus came flying off. Also, the hood flew off, the brakes went out, the windshield wipers seized up and all the windows blew out. The Penguins did what they usually do to the Blue Jackets at home, ruining rookie goalie Elvis Merzlikins’ NHL debut by blowing open a game they won 7-2 with five second-period goals. This time, though, it felt even worse than usual. This one was a beatdown, which included two goals in the second by third-liner Jared McCann, two scored by defensemen — Kris Letang’s first of two and another by Marcus Pettersson — and, of course, what Penguins victory over the Jackets would be complete without a goal by Patric Hornqvist parked in front of the net? There was one of those, too, off a long shot by former Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson, along with a second goal for Hornqvist in the third. Also, there was a fight late in the period between Pierre-Luc Dubois and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby, whom Dubois used to admire as a kid when Crosby played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The second period ended just as fittingly for the Jackets, as Seth Jones took a late tripping penalty and Letang scored his first on a power play that made it 5-1 with 1.2 seconds left. Merzlikins, who stopped all 10 shots he saw in the first period, remained in the game to play the third. He finished out his first NHL start by allowing two more goals in the third — another by Hornqvist and Teddy Blueger’s first of the season – and left knowing firsthand how some previous Blue Jackets goalies felt. The Penguins’ run of success against the Jackets, especially on their ice, is impressive. They have won nine of the past 10, dating to April 4, 2017, and have earned points in 14 of the past 16. This was their eighth straight victory at home against the Jackets, and the Penguins’ home record against them is 16-4-0. The Blue Jackets, meanwhile, have some regrouping to do before the Buffalo Sabres pay a visit Monday to Nationwide Arena. The Jackets got goals from Zach Werenski and Gustav Nyquist, but there wasn’t much else for them to take away from this game. After losing their first two games in regulation to Pittsburgh and the Toronto Maple Leafs by a combined score of 10-2, it’s fair to say they’ve been dropped to the canvas with an early 1-2 combination that landed solidly on the nose. The watch has officially begun now to see how they will react, starting with the game against Buffalo.= Columbus Dispatch LOADED: 10.06.2019 Jackets, fans hoping for best despite key losses By Adam Jardy, The Columbus Dispatch – October 5, 2019 Rick Szabrak and his son, Leo, had to hustle to get to the Arena District in time. The Columbus residents, who are Blue Jackets season-ticket holders, made their way to the Nationwide Plaza and a mass of humanity pressed around a path of blue carpet. It was roughly 4 p.m., the Blue Jackets were arriving at Nationwide Arena for their annual ceremonial entrance to open the season and a few fans kindly cleared a path for 4-year-old Leo to get close enough to the ropes to reach out and snag a high-five from his favorite player, Cam Atkinson. Then the father and son took Leo’s handmade sign reading “Let’s go Cam!” around the party, where they watched jugglers and contortionists before heading into a season marked by cautious optimism. “There was this black cloud over the team all year last year,” Rick said as his son buried his head into his right shoulder. “We’re excited to get started.” It was a feeling shared by many of the Blue Jackets fans who turned out early and passed up other social engagements to see the first seconds of the 2019-20 season, the result of which was a loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The massive glass windows overlooking the plaza were adorned with the faces of the team’s leadership: captain Nick Foligno and alternate captains Boone Jenner, Seth Jones and Atkinson. Absent but not forgotten from the line of stars were the two big faces whose final season and subsequent departures created the cloud that Szabrak mentioned. The official team shop was selling Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky jerseys on the clearance rack for half price, but one for goalie Joonas Korpisalo, the opening-night starter, was not available for purchase. A few fans still donned the jerseys of the former Jackets. Erin Lynch, 25, drove up from Athens while wearing her roommate’s Panarin jersey because the New York Rangers — Panarin’s new team — are her favorite team. The Jackets are second, she said, because her favorite player is former Ranger Brandon Dubinsky. “I almost think (the vibe) is ‘good riddance’ because those were the guys that didn’t want to be here and were kind of being babies about it when they were here,” Lynch said. “Especially Bob. That’s a good riddance. It hurts, but I think everyone’s ready to show that they’re better than they were when (Bobrovsky and Panarin) were here.” Situated in front of a temporary stage from which WBNS-FM (97.1) was broadcasting live, Matt Rohrer of Westerville sported his autographed Bobrovsky jersey with pride as his wife, Kristen, wore her Alexander Wennberg jersey.