NHL Preseason Highlights | Blue Jackets vs. Sabres | September 23, 2025

NHL Preseason Highlights | Blue Jackets vs. Sabres | September 23, 2025

Norris and Thompson. First time that these three 
get a chance to settle in aside from a training camp or practice here and there and see what 
they can do against an opposition that wants to bump and get in their way. Sabres from left 
to right. They’ll dump it into the Columbus Blue Jacket zone. Charlie Ell trying to pick it up 
for Columbus. Sabres get it back to the line. Dene with a slapper and that’s a very early test. 
His pass across the line. Gearston with a nice job. Just bumped his man right off the puck. Blue 
Jackets dump it down to the corner off the near wall with a shot that Lion got a piece of Columbus 
able to retrieve the puck. Christensen off the wall left side to the net and that’s glove high. 
Alex Lion 32year-old will hold on to it. Preseason practice sessions with the media that it really 
doesn’t matter what you call him, a center or a winger. He’s going to play both positions when 
he’s out there depending on the situation. Here is Thompson rightwing side. Shot will go to 
the corner glass. tie up down low behind the net. Max McHugh for Columbus getting that time 
and space taken away. He’ll stay on that job in front of the net. Stays in possession of the Blue 
Jackets and Londrom plays it to the goal line. Gets a bump back and he’ll play it to the blue 
line. Far circle one-time. Lion with a pad save and the rebound. Reaches back behind him to cover 
up the space out of the blue paint a little bit, but he recovers. Gets his glove on it as it maybe 
is sliding through the backside a little bit. And a nice job by Brian Johnson. Jacob Bryson in front 
of the net. Clearing the front of the net. So Blue Jackets gaining the line with a high shot well of 
the net. Comes free to the corner. Played up the wall and Helenius could not clear. Lifted towards 
the net and held on to by Lions. Tried to make a play with a puck. Sabres with the takeaway. Let’s 
see what Buffalo can do. Here is Connor Timonss. Short little pass and then Mloud looks to the 
wing. Good speed here and a nice pass for Helenius who had a great chance and a good shot. Penalty 
coming up here. Time getting things generated. A couple really good looks and see what they can do 
here. Thompson and Dene. Puck goes to the circle. Thompson with a chance and good possession coming 
back. Mloud. Zooker standing at the post. Look out for too many men that did not hit his skate. And 
now countering is Columbus with a chance and Lion makes the save off of Miles Wood offering from the 
far circle. Five and a half to go in the first. Sabres from left to right in the opening period. 
Nothing on the board between these two teams. There’s a shot straight on, but again a wide 
open lane and not a lot on that shot. Oh, I can’t make the game. Pick the games you can make. Blue 
Jackets make their way up to center. Lion tested with an easy shot. pad save and he directed that 
one right towards Rasmus Dalene who then piouetses away from the coverage and here come the Sabres 
on the attack. Norris for Thompson. Thompson with a shot of the rebound just out of the reach that 
is blocked and Columbus looking to counter here. Mosley and company get it down towards Lion. 
Toronto in Pittsburgh now a Buffalo Sabres. He carries through center. He’ll lift 
one towards the Columbus net and Ivan Fedottov will gain the line and chip 
that one down to the corner. Side steps a check. [Applause] Shot from the point 
that time off the stick of Zack Jones. Johnson holding possession on the far wall. Lifts 
that one towards Fido who over at the left circle. 50 seconds to go in the period. Saber second 
power play. Darlene up top. Here comes Norris with a one-time. Fed with the save. That puck is 
still free. So free it came back to the point, but the referee lost sight out there. The 
referee can understand how he lost sight of it. A good shot. That was a good redirection 
in front of the net by Zucker. Kept the shot on the ice. Might have been power. Just kept 
it low. Just got it through to the net. Josh Dunn did it once too, I think, last 
night. So there’s Thompson with a blast. Jackets. Buffalo will look to set up here 
as Mloud comes away with it in behind the net centers in front. Thompson touched pass 
drops it back for the blast and Fedo sliding over able to make that stop as Rasmus Dene 
last man back at the blue line now will have to track back. possible twoon-one here, but 
instead the good positioning of Dolene just keeping the stick of the counter rusher not 
in a position to make the pass negates that and the Sabres can come back with 20 seconds 
left in the man advantage. Dene walks in with a shot and Fedo gets a piece of that one. 
Puck to the corner. A little bit of polite interference there. Yeah, it’ll hold with a 
stick, too. That’s what I meant by polite. Sabres power play will expire here. So we’ll 
stay scoreless just over a minute into this second period. Here’s a lead pass. Zooker’s got 
a breakaway. Zooker forehand shot is stopped by Fedot for the rebound picked up by Columbus. Tyler 
Cough on the ice now for Buffalo. Shot from the point. Cough with a block and now race for it and 
open ice here. Cough to the circle with a shot and that one stopped by Fedotov. What a great start 
to the period here by Buffalo. Bunched up to the Columbus line but Buffalo able to get it in the 
zone. Now Helenius with position pass to the far circle. Nice patience there. Shot goes off the 
bar and it’ll be kept into the point by Jones. Zack Jones walks it to the slot. Pass to the 
goal line. In tight shot stopped by Fedotto, but he would looked like he was hunched over 
but he’s back into the mix and trying to dig that puck out of the corner and he does. Blue 
Jackets working back up top for a shot and that one does deflect in with the traffic in front of 
the net and Miles Wood I still think feeling that first shot. He’s he’s grabbing something there. 
Play continued to battle. The shot comes from the point just about the top of the circles. 
He’s just able to get enough of the stick on it and deflects past Alex Lion’s glove hands 
the post and then into the back of the net. Columbus goes up. Sabres playing it halfway up and 
out. Little touch pass and now Nov will carry up through center. Nov dish gets it back again and 
Fedot got big just the last second to make that stop. Sabres come back with speed. Here’s Benson. 
Takes a look as he crosses the line. Sends a pass across for a shot off the bar. Sabres there 
with some good puck play to get it to Zack Jones who comes up with iron and stops it. Benson 
finds Thompson and the Savers have tied the game at one with 206 to go in the second. Able to tie 
this up with 206. Benson just taking this behind the net. He’s under pressure on the backhand. 
Takes a look, sees Tage Thompson and Tage just instant release as soon as it hits his stick and 
he beats back to Samson now. Zooker high at the blue line. Cycles it back down to the corner. 
Sabres bring it out low to high. Costa Helenius on his backhand. Turns to forehand. Cuts to the 
lane. Fires a shot and a pad save by Sachenko. Sabres continue with the pressure here. Five 
on five over on the far wall. Here’s Helenius in front. Jason scores. Sabres on top. Two to 
one with 803 remaining in this third period. Able to stay with it. And I talk about 
winning puck battles on the power play. Not happening right here. Helenius, 
he tries to go from his forehand to his backhand to slide it in underneath. He 
loses possession of it. On the same time, Jason Zucker’s got momentum coming to the 
net. Hean chasing after on the far side. And there’s a turnover to stepping up. Rasmusene 
with it inside the Columbus zone. He’ll play it back. Samson with a shot. There’s a rebound. 
Oh boy. They weren’t able to bang that one in. Zack Sachenko Darren the young man just 
kind of flipping over and he took a shot here. Here it is. It gets in behind him and 
he does a nice job with his stick. He reaches back with his stick and able to stop that one 
and then pull it back in. Gunce wins it but so cleanly it actually gets past the point man. 
The Savers hang on to win it. Final score two to

Watch full game NHL highlights from the matchup between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Buffalo Sabres on September 23, 2025, condensing all the action into a 10-minute recap

00:00 1st period
04:10 2nd period
07:09 3rd period

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