Goaltender Tristan Jarry made eight saves on nine shots for the Pittsburgh Penguins, who opened their preseason with a 3-0 home loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday at PPG Paints Arena.
Columbus claimed the first lead 16 minutes, 28 seconds into regulation. From the center point of the offensive zone, Blue Jackets forward Yegor Chinakhov moved slightly toward the left circle and lasered a wrister through the slot and past goaltender Jarry’s glove hand on the far side.
As planned, Jarry was pulled midway through the game at 11:55 of the second and replaced by prospect Filip Lindberg. A first-year professional, Lindberg finished with 12 saves on 13 shots.
It became a 2-0 score at 4:10 of the third. From the left corner of the offensive zone, Blue Jackets forward Alexandre Texier slipped a pass to the far side of the crease, where defenseman Adam Boqvist lifted a wrister over a sprawling Lindberg.
An empty-net goal by forward Emil Bemstrom at 17:43 of the third capped the scoring.
Penguins defensive prospect Cam Lee left the game late in regulation after being struck with a puck. Coach Mike Sullivan indicated Lee was fine.
After scrimmaging during the first four days of training camp, the Penguins found relief in just playing against foes that weren’t teammates.
“This is our first chance to play against an opponent,” Sullivan said prior to the game. “Our guys have had enough of playing against one another. There’s another level of intensity when you play against an opponent. For me, that’s exciting for all of us. We’re asking our players to do what they do best. And to make an impression, make an impact. Not just get through the game but try to make a difference in the game.”
The Penguins’ next game of the preseason is a road contest against the Buffalo Sabres on Friday at KeyBank Center.
