Buffalo Sabres open the preseason victorious in Columbus

The Buffalo Sabres started the preseason with a 4-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.

The biggest production for the Sabres came from the top of line of Patrik Berglund, Alexander Nylander, and Tage Thompson. Berglund scored the first goal of the game and Nylander and Thompson both notched 2 assists.

Alexander Nylander, coming off a great showing at the Prospects Challenge last week, had a statement game as he is fighting for one of the final forward spots. Patrik Berglund was definitely impressed:

"“I’ve always known he’s very skilled, has a good shot, a fast forward, but I think what I saw today and in practice, I think he’s been taking big steps of playing the game the right way and paying attention to the small details of the game.” – Patrik Berglund"

Nylander has played in 7 games the last seasons, 4 games and 3 games to close each season respectively, and playing with newly acquired forwards Berglund and Thompson worked out well last night. Phil Housley expressed praise for their performance:

"“I really liked that whole line tonight. They were creating things offensively. Alex had another solid game, I really like his development through this camp. He’s done the right things, he’s working hard, he’s getting his nose dirty, he’s on the forecheck and he’s making plays.” – Phil Housley"

Coincidentally, Berglund and Thompson were on a line together a few times last season with Vladimir Sobotka, also a new member of the Sabres. Sobotka will most likely make his Sabres debut on Tuesday.

Getting the other goals for the Buffalo Sabres were Nathan Beaulieu, Kyle Criscuolo, and Andrew Oglevie. Beaulieu, coming off tough first year in Buffalo, needs to have a strong training camp to find his way in the Sabres defense rotation. Oglevie, who led the University of Notre Dame in scoring twice in his 3 year career with the Fighting Irish, signed a two year contract with the Sabres last April and will most likely start the year in Rochester. Criscuolo, scored 15 goals as an alternate captain for the Rochester Americans and has one year left on his contract.

Linus Ullmark registered the win for the Sabres playing the first 2 periods and making 20 saves on 21 shots. Jonas Johansson stopped all 13 shots he faced in the 3rd period.

The Buffalo Sabres will be at it again tonight when they come home to face the Pittsburgh Penguins. Also of note, Sam Reinhart remains without a contract, 1 of 5 remaining unsigned restricted free agents in the NHL.

What were your takeaways from last night’s game? Let us know in the comment section below.