It got too close for comfort at the end, but the Blue Jackets held off the Detroit Red Wings in a 4-2 victory on Sept. 26 at Little Caesars Arena to finish their preseason with three wins in four games.
That includes sweeping two games against the Red Wings, who nearly overcame a 3-0 deficit with goals scored seven-plus minutes apart in the third period of the preseason finale for each team. Ben Chiarot and Michael Rasmussen scored those goals, giving the Red Wings a jolt, but Cole Sillinger sealed it for the Blue Jackets by scoring into an empty net with 10 seconds left.
Charlie Coyle, Valeri Nichuskin and rookie forward Jack Williams scored three unanswered goals to give
the Jackets a 3-0 lead early in the third period, but the Red Wings finally broke through against goalie Jet Greaves 6:39 into the third period.
Greaves was sharp while stopping32 of 34 shots while his team was outshot 34-22. The Jackets' top goalie earned his second win of the preseason while handling all three periods in his second start. Next up for Columbus is the season opener against the Buffalo Sabres on Oct. 1 at Nationwide Arena.
Dispatch Blue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets clip Detroit Red Wings 4-2 to finish preseason
