Blue Jackets breakdown: All things clicking in preseason rout of St. Louis Blues

Taking advantage of a long travel day for the St. Louis Blues, the Blue Jackets rolled to a 7-0 victory Thursday in their preseason home finale at Nationwide Arena.

Andrew Peeke had four assists, five players finished with multiple points and Columbus improved to 4-2-1 in exhibition play. Yegor Chinakhov had a goal and assist, scoring his NHL-leading fifth goal of the preseason to help the Jackets build a 3-0 lead in the first period.

Patrik Laine, Jack Roslovic, Zach Werenski, Jakub Voracek, Cole Sillinger and Justin Danforth scored the other goals for Columbus, which dominated play from the start to finish to help Daniil Tarasov log a 24-save shutout.

"It was great," Werenski said. "Everyone was going out there having fun. Guys were playing their role. (Mathieu) Oliver (with a fight), Tarasov was great in net, Peeker was Bobby Orr, four points, so it's a good game. (The Blues) didn't send their full lineup. On Saturday, I think we're going to play Washington's full team and it's a big game for us just getting ready for the season ... but I think just to get our systems down, our timing right, guys to score some goals, this was a good game for us."

Columbus Blue Jackets vs St. Louis Blues turning point

The game’s start was initially delayed by 30 minutes and wound up being delayed 33 additional minutes because the Blues had multiple travel issues — including a late-arriving charter flight followed by a bus ride from the airport delayed by an accident on Interstate 670 westbound.

Icing a lineup with more NHL regulars, the Blue Jackets pounced on St. Louis right from the opening faceoff and built a 3-0 lead with a dominant first period. Columbus rolled from that point.

"I'm happy how hard (we) played," Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen said. "Realize what they went through, that team over there. They didn't arrive until about 6:30 (p.m.) and it was a little bit of a thinner lineup for them. In saying that, though, we can't control what the other team's bringing or how they play. So, I was happy with our effort."

Columbus Blue Jackets vs St. Louis Blues highlights

— Laine’s goal to open the scoring 1:03 into the game was the first of three highlight-worthy goals for the Blue Jackets in their three-goal first period. Capping a strong opening shift for Columbus’ top forward line, Laine scored his second goal of the preseason by tapping his own rebound out of mid-air past Blues goalie Thomas Greiss.

— Chinakhov’s goal at 11:03 of the first was memorable for both the pass that started it and his speed burst to get around a Blues defender. The pass was from Jakub Voracek, who hit Chinakhov in stride with a pass off the wall. The second-year Russian winger took it from there, hitting the afterburners and flicking a wrist shot past Greiss at high speed for a 2-0 lead.

"He's attacking the game way more," Larsen said. "He put on 10-12 pounds (in the offseason) and, to me, he never lost a step. He looks like he gained a step. Last year, the goal he scored tonight, I don't think he does that. I don't think he dips his shoulder and gets inside, and that's the difference I've seen in camp, even in scrimmages. He just looks way more assertive."

More: PhotosDispatch gallery from the Blue Jackets' 7-0 win over the St. Louis Blues

— Roslovic made it 3-0 with 6:04 left in the first on his first goal of the preseason. Carrying the puck over the St. Louis Blue line, the Jackets’ second-line center dragged the puck around Blues defenseman Calle Rosen and fired a shot from the inner half of the right circle past Greiss.

— Greiss probably knew he was in for a rough start the minute the Blues finally stepped off their bus. Sure enough, he faced a wave of Blue Jackets opportunities right away and made a fantastic save against a one-timer by Johnny Gaudreau to keep it 1-0 Columbus at 4:27 of the first. Tracking the puck off a diagonal feed to the right circle, Greiss slid over and blocked Gaudreau’s quick one-timer to prevent the goal.

— Werenski made it 4-0 in his first goal of the preseason, scored at 5:30 of the second. Gaudreau set it up, showing why he piled up 115 points last season for the Calgary Flames. After his feed off a 2-on-1 was broken up, Gaudreau calmly collected the puck, looked for a new option and zipped a pass to Werenski in the high slot for a snap shot that beat Greiss.

— Olivier asked around in three previous games this preseason, but nobody was willing to take him up on his fight invitations. This time, Blues defenseman Tyler Tucker accepted at 12:06 of the first off the faceoff following Chinakhov's goal. The Columbus forward, who said it stemmed from an incident last weekend in the Blues' victory over the Blue Jackets in St. Louis, won the scrap decisively.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs St. Louis Blues quotables

“We know he has a lethal shot, but you’ve got to get yourself into position to do that. Now, it’s just consistency. That’s the next step for him, but he’s had a really good camp that way and he’s got his five goals or whatever, which is great, but the level that we need him to play at, with attacking the game with his legs, that’s what I want to see every night.”

— Blue Jackets coach Brad Larsen on Yegor Chinakhov's improvement in his second NHL preseason

"It still feels kind of horrible, but guys are saying I look better, so I’ll take that. It felt pretty good. I’m still kind of gassed a little bit, after a hard couple of weeks of camp, but we’ll have a couple days off here. ... I had a really good summer and it’s good to see it’s paying off, but it’s a long season.”

— Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine on looking quicker than recent seasons despite having sore leg muscles from long practices

“You can tell they put the work in. I thought the effort’s been outstanding, and some of these games, too, they’re tired. They've got tired legs, but as we told them in the practices, we don’t back off in the practices during camp because we’re building for the season. But they came prepared. They really did. I am going to have some tough (roster) decisions here after Saturday night."

— Larsen on his feelings about training camp with one preseason game left.

Dispatch three stars for Columbus Blue Jackets vs St. Louis Blues

First star

Andrew Peeke, Blue Jackets, defenseman

Picked up a trio of secondary assists and added a primary assist on a goal by Jakub Voracek in the second, finishing with four points on four assists, a +6 rating and four hits. He even blocked a shot for good measure.

Second star

Yegor Chinakhov, Blue Jackets, forward

Scored his NHL-leading fifth goal of the preseason before adding an assist on Voracek’s goal for a 1-1-2 scoring line. Showed impressive speed burst to get free for his goal.

Third star

Zach Werenski, Blue Jackets, defenseman

Had a goal and assist by the end of the second period, picking up the first assist on Laine’s goal to open the scoring in the first and scoring to make it 4-0 in the second.

Columbus Blue Jackets takeaways from blowout win over St. Louis Blues

— Tarasov played the entire game, which had to be a relief for both him and the Blue Jackets' front office. Coming off hip surgery in February, Tarasov got his first game action since returning Monday in Raleigh. He was pulled early in the second period with the Blue Jackets getting outskated and peppered with shots. Tarasov felt soreness in his hip that game, but it was likely scar tissue breaking up. The Blue Jackets played it safe by pulling him, but allowed him to play the whole game with a lower workload against St. Louis.

Tarasov and Joonas Korpisalo both had hip surgery last season, but Korpisalo's was about six weeks after Tarasov's, which means the latter might be required to open the season as Elvis Merzlikins' backup while Korpisalo continues to go through his own recovery process.

"It was a good bounce-back game," Larsen said. "He’s put in a lot of work this summer. He’s coming off surgery and he looks solid."

— Peeke made his money last season by being durable and physical in his first full NHL season. He spent the bulk of it playing on the first defense pairing with Werenski, but wasn’t up there for his offensive abilities.

Peeke had two goals, 13 assists and 15 points, but his primary responsibility was to be dependable for Werenski, who chases offensive chances more inside the opposing blue line. This preseason, Peeke is showing more offensive skill with six assists in three games – including four in this game plus a cross-ice feed to Laine for a one-timer to help the Jackets open the preseason with a romp over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

“It's not the main objective of my game, but anytime I can do something like that, I'm not complaining one bit," Peeke said. "I'm happy with how the team played tonight and responded after that Carolina game (8-1 loss Monday), even though we weren't all there (playing). It was a big game for us, gearing up for the regular season."

This wasn’t against a team with a full NHL lineup and the Blues were gassed by their travel woes, but four assists in any game is going to draw notice for a defenseman of Peeke’s ilk.

— This was an important game for rookie forwards Kent Johnson and Liam Foudy, who needed to stand out to further their chances of making the opening roster. The Blue Jackets have a backlog of young forwards and there’s no room nor reason to keep all of them in the NHL.

Johnson played left wing on a third forward line with Cole Sillinger at center and Justin Danforth on the right, and the trio was dominant when called upon. Larsen sheltered them with 80% of their starts in the offensive zone, but they didn't yield the puck much and kept the Blues hemmed into their own end of the ice. The Blue Jackets had a 13-6 edge in shot attempts with Johnson, Sillinger and Danforth at 5-on-5 (68.4%), outshot St. Louis 9-5 and built large advantages in scoring chances (8-1) and high-danger chances (4-0).

Johnson set up Danforth's goal with a primary assist and had one shot in 12:09. Foudy, playing his second preseason game after coming back from shoulder surgery in February, showed his speed on the fourth line with center Sean Kuraly and Olivier. He didn’t make a lot of noise otherwise in 12:58.

— Olivier did make noise, bringing thunder to the game with his first fight of the preseason plus a mammoth hit on Blues defenseman Calle Rosen in the second.

Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen traded a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL draft to acquire Olivier from the Nashville Predators with the idea of adding “grit” and toughness to the lineup. Olivier can also play in the offensive zone, which he plans to show if given an opportunity to play a regular role.

This was the best example of Oliver’s talents this preseason.

— The Blues brought a watered-down version of their NHL lineup to Columbus, similar to what the Blue Jackets did Monday at the Carolina Hurricanes in an 8-1 loss at PNC Arena. That combined with the travel issues played a role in the lopsided final score, just as the Jackets’ loss Monday did in Raleigh.

That makes it tougher for the Blue Jackets’ coaching staff and front office to assess players, but there was a lot to like in the final preseason home game at Nationwide Arena.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs St. Louis Blues notes

— Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner made his preseason debut after being held out of scrimmages and the first six games while not cleared for contact. Jenner missed the final 23 games of last season with a lower back injury, so the decision was made to limit his exposure to physical play for most of the preseason. Jenner played 14:13 on 16 shifts and finished with an assist on Werenski's goal. He also had one shot, three attempts, four hits and won 10 of 16 faceoffs (63%).

“It’s tough to get that game pace without playing, so to get into a game and get up to pace that way, it’s good,” Jenner said. “I just want to keep building on it now.”

— The Blue Jackets scratched defenseman Erik Gudbranson prior to the game out of precaution because of a “minor” lower-body injury. He was replaced on the third defense pairing by rookie David Jiricek, the sixth overall pick in this year’s NHL draft. Jiricek played the right point as Jake Bean’s partner.

— Justin Danforth leads the Blue Jackets in scoring with six points on three goals and three assists in five preseason games, adding a goal and assist against the Blues. Danforth has played a lot of center in this training camp, but played where he'll likely start at right wing on a line centered by Sillinger.

Columbus Blue Jackets 7, St. Louis Blues 0: analysis

Columbus had most of its NHL lineup dressed and took advantage of the Blues' undermanned, overtired roster after the long travel day. The Blue Jackets dominated puck possession and controlled the action for most of the game. St. Louis got its footing in the third, but were still outscored 2-0 despite a 10-5 edge in shots.

Here's a breakdown of the game statistically, courtesy of Natural Stat Trick:

Shots: Blue Jackets 33, Blues 24 (Columbus 58%)

Shot attempts: Blue Jackets 58, Blues 39 (Columbus 60%)

Scoring chances: Blue Jackets 37, Blues 23 (Columbus 62%)

High-danger chances: Blue Jackets 13, Blues 8 (Columbus 62%)

Expected goals: Blue Jackets 2.99, Blues 1.61

Faceoffs: Blue Jackets 31/55 (56%), Blues 24/55 (44%)

Hits: Blue Jackets 21, Blues 9

Blocked shots: Blues 13, Blue Jackets 6

Up next for the Columbus Blue Jackets

After a day off Friday, the Blue Jackets conclude their preseason Saturday at the Washington Capitals (7 p.m.)

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets blast St. Louis Blues in preseason tilt