Blue Jackets Blank Penguins 4-0 as Nichushkin Debuts and a New Second Line Clicks
Columbus got a Talbot shutout, a debut goal from its big summer addition, and an early look at a line that could reshape its season.
Preseason scorelines are disposable; preseason answers are not. Columbus got a few of the second kind in a 4-0 shutout of Pittsburgh at Nationwide Arena on September 24 — a game that said more about the Blue Jackets' new-look middle six and their goaltending plan than the score alone suggests.
How it unfolded
Zach Werenski opened the scoring at 11:48 of the first period with a point shot through traffic, per the NHL.com preseason roundup. Valeri Nichushkin — making his Blue Jackets debut after Columbus acquired him from Colorado in June — doubled the lead in the second on a backhand off the rush, Danton Heinen tapped in his own rebound to make it 3-0, and Kirill Marchenko sealed it into an empty net late in the third. Dmitri Voronkov picked up two assists.
Cam Talbot stopped all 15 shots he faced for the shutout, valuable minutes with Elvis Merzlikins still working back from shoulder surgery, according to The Hockey Writers. Pittsburgh, dressing a deliberately thin lineup, managed just seven shots through two periods.
The storyline: a second line taking shape
The unit of Sean Monahan, Nichushkin and Voronkov was the night's real headline — a goal, two assists and sustained pressure in their first extended look together. If that trio carries chemistry into October, Columbus's forward group suddenly has a very different ceiling than it did a year ago.
The Pittsburgh side
The Penguins treated this as a prospect evaluation night, and rookie goalie Sergei Murashov held up reasonably well behind a bare-bones roster, stopping 13 of 16, per PensBurgh's wrap-up. The bigger concern in Pittsburgh's camp is down the middle, where preseason injuries to Blake Lizotte and Ben Kindel have thinned out the center depth chart ahead of the opener. Both clubs have one final tune-up before the games start counting.