The Blue Jackets opened the preseason with a win, but it came with a hit they’d rather not have to absorb this early.
Columbus edged Detroit in a shootout last night, and the game itself looked a lot like a first exhibition tune-up: no goals in regulation, plenty of penalties, and not much offense to write home about. The Jackets are now 1-0 in the preseason with three games still left to play.
There wasn’t much veteran presence on the ice, either. Columbus dressed just six regulars, so the spotlight was squarely on the younger players trying to make noise.
Boston Buckberger was the one defender who kept showing up. On the other side of the puck, the offense never really found a rhythm.
Outside of Tuch and McCue dropping the gloves, and Malatesta throwing his weight around, the Jackets didn’t generate much excitement going forward.
The biggest concern of the night came on the blue line. Dante Fabbro exited with an upper-body injury after a little more than eight minutes and did not return.
The Blue Jackets announced his departure during the game, and coach Bowness said afterward that Fabbro would be reevaluated Tuesday morning. For a team that doesn’t want to stack up injuries in September, that’s the last thing Columbus needed.
As for the numbers, Conor Garland provided the only shootout goal and finished with two shots and one hit. Denton Mateychuk logged a team-high 28:56 and led all Blue Jackets with four shots.
Ivan Provorov was right behind him in ice time at 30:16 and added three shots. Owen Sillinger led Columbus forwards with three shots.
The physical play was easy to spot. Luke Tuch posted five hits and a fight, Max McCue added a fight and two hits, and Mathieu Olivier chipped in five hits of his own. In goal, Jet Greaves stopped 16 shots over two periods, while Pheonix Copley turned aside two shots in regulation and overtime and kept Detroit off the board in the shootout.
Special teams were a mixed bag. Columbus went 0-for-5 on the power play, but the penalty kill did its job and shut down all three Detroit advantages. The Blue Jackets also finished with 30 hits, 16 blocks, and a 43.8% mark in the faceoff circle, winning 14 of 32 draws.
Next up, Columbus heads to Buffalo for preseason game No. 2 against the Sabres.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have A Dante Fabbro Concern To Watch
Preseason injuries are piling up around the league, and the Blue Jackets have their own situation to monitor after defenseman Dante Fabbro left a game with an upper-body injury. Columbus is already in the part of camp where every shift matters, and any interruption to a projected lineup piece gets attention fast, especially on the back end where depth and continuity can be tested in a hurry.
Fabbros exit now sits alongside a handful of other early-camp health concerns elsewhere, with Pittsburgh forward Benjamin Kindel and Rangers forward Adam Sykora both leaving preseason games after lower-body issues, while Penguins winger Ville Koivunen also missed action after taking a puck to the face in practice. For Columbus, the focus is less on the broader preseason churn and more on how quickly Fabbro can get back on the ice and whether this becomes a brief setback or something the Blue Jackets need to track more closely. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Suddenly Have An Opening Night Blue Line Concern
The Blue Jackets were already working through the usual late-preseason roster sorting when the back end took a hit in Mondays game against Detroit. Dante Fabbro, projected to open the regular season on Columbus third defensive pairing, went down with an upper-body injury and did not return, a development that adds a little more uncertainty to a group that was trying to settle into shape before opening night.
For a team that wants stability on the blue line, the timing is far from ideal, especially with the regular season looming. If Fabbro is forced to miss time, veteran Erik Gudbranson looms as the most likely next man up, giving the Jackets a familiar, sturdier option while they wait to see how serious the injury is and how the rest of the defensive picture sorts itself out. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jackets Give Several Bubble Players Another Big Chance In Buffalo
The Blue Jackets are using their preseason trip to Buffalo as another look at a group of players still trying to carve out NHL roles for the 2026-27 season. Columbus has already rolled out its roster for the game, and it offers one more opportunity for coaches to sort through the fringe of the lineup while players with something to prove get meaningful game action instead of practice reps.
The setup also gives fans an easy way to keep tabs on the competition, with the game available live on BlueJackets.com and the CBJ App, plus radio coverage on 97.1 the Fan. For a roster battle that is still taking shape, nights like this matter because every shift can help push a bubble player a little closer to staying in the conversation, even if the final decision is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]