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Injury riddled Columbus Blue Jackets split road trip after 3-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres
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- Injury riddled Columbus Blue Jackets split road trip after 3-2 loss to Buffalo Sabres
The banged up Blue Jackets finished a costly four-game road trip Tuesday night with a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at Harbor Center.
Playing without Zach Werenski , Kirill Marchenko and Sean Monahan — their injured top three scorers — the Blue Jackets came up short despite outshooting Buffalo 30-21 and pulling within a goal on Ivan Provorov 's tally with 7:22 left in the third period. An intense push with a 6-on-5 advantage and their own net empty came up short for Columbus at the end, when Sabres backup goalie James Reimer (28 saves) preserved a one-goal lead to give the Sabres (22-26-5) their fourth straight win.
Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrates his goal with center Ryan McLeod.
It was the second straight loss for the Blue Jackets (26-21-7) , who dropped out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference and trail both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins by a point. Alex Tuch scored two goals off deflections to break a 1-1 tie in the second for Buffalo, which took a 3-1 margin into the third. Bowen Byrum opened the scoring in the first to give the Sabres an early 1-0 lead, but Kent Johnson responded early in the second to tie it, 1-1, for the Blue Jackets.
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Reimer, the Sabres' backup, was sharp while pressed into making an unexpected start replacing injured starter Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen . Elvis Merzlikins made 18 saves in his second straight loss for the Blue Jackets.
Feb 4, 2025; Buffalo, New York, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) looks to make a save on Buffalo Sabres right wing Jack Quinn (22) during the second period at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
The loss was their first regulation defeat for Columbus in Buffalo since March 31, 2019, ending a 5-0-3 stretch with the Jackets earning at least one point at Harbor Center.
Next up for the Blue Jackets are homes games Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club and Saturday against the New York Rangers at Nationwide Arena. Following those two, they'll get a needed break for almost two full weeks for the NHL's 4 Nations Face-Off in Boston and Montreal .
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Battered Columbus Blue Jackets split trip in loss to Buffalo Sabres
