PREVIEW: Blue Jackets host Red Wings in NHL Stadium Series

Growing up in Central Ohio, Sean Kuraly has been to his fair share of Ohio State football games.

His father, Rick, also played college hockey and instilled a love of the game in Sean at a young age, building a rink in his backyard in Dublin. Kuraly could occasionally convince his friends to come over for an outdoor skate or a game of shinny on a local pond.

So you can only imagine what it’s like for Kuraly to see the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium series game vs. Detroit to come to Columbus. As the only player on the Blue Jackets to grow up in Central Ohio, Kuraly has a unique understanding of what it means to bring his sport to Ohio Stadium for the first outdoor game in franchise history.

“These are hallowed grounds in Columbus,” he said when touring the stadium earlier this week. “To be out here and playing hockey, it’s gonna be neat, and I think what makes these events so special is all the people that can get in here and fit in here. It’s not something that can happen often in a hockey game is to get this many people together, and it’s going to be a big celebration of Columbus and hockey.”

NHL STADIUM SERIES: Blue Jackets host Red Wings at Ohio Stadium | Fan guide to the NHL Stadium Series

Indeed, more than 90,000 fans are expected to descend on Ohio State’s campus and fit into the venerable, century-old Horseshoe for what will be the second most-attended game in NHL history. That alone makes this one of the most unique and special events in NHL history, and that’s before you even consider what’s on the line.

Columbus’ 5-2 win in the Motor City on Thursday moved the Blue Jackets into a tie with the Red Wings for the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, with both teams four points clear of all challengers. With a month and a half to go in the NHL season, the two teams will be battling for two crucial points, all with a massive television audience, the eyes of the hockey world and a packed house on hand.

“I think that was our goal going into the year after some of the injuries early on was to play meaningful hockey at the Stadium Series, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Zach Werenski said after the team’s practice at the stadium Friday. “We’re tied up in the standings. Played them last night in a good, hard-fought battle, and tomorrow’s going to be much of the same thing.”

While there is a lot of pomp and circumstance to the proceedings, CBJ head coach Dean Evason said his message to the team going into such a unique setting will be consistent with what it has been all year. There's no reason to change, either, with the Blue Jackets winning three in a row off the 4 Nations break and outscoring opponents 16-7.

“We stress to our group that it doesn’t matter who, when or where we play, we play the exact same way,” Evason said. “So if we’re playing on the road or we’re playing outside or we’re playing in our fantastic arena, then we play the same way.”

But there’s no denying not much will be the same when the Blue Jackets take on the Red Wings tonight. Captain Boone Jenner is in his 12th season in Columbus and has been attending games in Ohio Stadium since he arrived. He’s seen the Horseshoe plenty of times, but never like this, and the spectacular venue is sure to be part of the show for the long-awaited event.

“It blew me away,” Jenner said of his first thoughts of seeing Ohio Stadium decked out for a hockey party. “It looks really cool. I’m super excited that it’s finally here. I’ve come to a lot of football games here. Never imagined this was going to happen.”

Know The Foe: Detroit Red Wings

Head coach: Todd McLellan (First season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 2.88 (18th) | Scoring defense: 3.15 (22nd) | PP: 29.3 percent (2nd) | PK: 70.0 percent (32nd)

The narrative: After a historic 25-season streak of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Red Wings have failed to qualify for the postseason in eight straight seasons. There were high hopes a talented young core mixed with veterans would keep that run from reaching nine years, but Detroit scuffled through the first half of the season and fired head coach Derek Lalonde in late December. The switch to McLellan has made a major impact, with the Wings going 17-6-2 in his tenure and moving into a wild card spot.

Team leaders: The Red Wings have a keeper in Lucas Raymond, as the 22-year-old Swede who was taken fourth overall in the 2020 draft scored 31 goals last season and leads the squad with 63 points (22 goals, 41 assists) this year. Captain Dylan Larkin is next with a 24-29-53 line, while dangerous goal scorer Alex DeBrincat leads the team with 27 goals among 51 points. Mortiz Seider heads the defense with 35 points on five goals and 30 assists, while Patrick Kane has a 14-21-35 line.

Cam Talbot has started a team-high 31 games in net and is 17-12-3 with a 2.89 GAA and .904 save percentage. Alex Lyon (11-6-1, 2.74, .902) is the primary backup after the recent trade of Ville Husso.

What's new: The Red Wings had a seven-game win streak just before the 4 Nations break and have won nine of 12 overall, in part because their top players are stepping up. Raymond (7-18-25), Larkin (11-13-24) and DeBrincat (12-11-23) are all among the NHL’s top scorers since Jan. 1, while Kane has added 18 points and Marco Kasper 16 points. Of note, the power play is red hot, scoring on 9 of 19 chances in the past six games, and Talbot is 11-3-1 in his last 14 decisions.

Trending: Detroit swept the season series a year ago, but the teams have split the two previous games in this campaign. The Blue Jackets went 17-5-1 against their northern neighbors from 2017-22 but are 2-5-1 the past two-plus years.

Former CBJ: Tyler Motte has played 32 games for the Red Wings this year, and the wing has two goals and two assists on the campaign.

Scratches: Jordan Harris, Jack Johnson

Injured reserve, Injured/Non-Roster list: Kevin Labanc (shoulder), Sean Monahan (upper body), Yegor Chinakhov (upper body), Erik Gudbranson (upper body)

Roster Report: Sillinger will not play after suffering an upper body injury Thursday in Detroit, with Pyyhtia being recalled Friday to join the forward group.

The Numbers Game

The Blue Jackets have points in 23 of the last 27 home games (19-4-4). ... Columbus has scored at least five goals in three consecutive games, tied for the longest mark in franchise history (Feb. 25-March 1, 2001). ... Columbus tied a franchise record (2018-19) with its 11th game with at least six goals Tuesday. The Blue Jackets are tied for first in the NHL with 141 goals at 5-on-5, their 4.03 home goals per game are first in the NHL, and their 3.32 goals per game are tied for fifth in the league. ... Zach Werenski has gone without a point the last two games but has only one three-game stretch this season without getting on the scoresheet. He has a 15-37-52 line in his last 43 games and has 30 points (7-23-30) in his past 24. His 256 career assists are two behind Nash for the CBJ franchise record, and his 46 home points are second in the NHL. His average ice time of 26:50 leads all NHL players, and he’s second among league defensemen in goals (18) and second in points (62) on the season. ... Kirill Marchenko has three goals in the last two games and has set a new career high with 24 goals on the season. He has a 14-18-32 line in his last 28 games and 43 points in his last 37 (18-25-43). He is tied for second in the NHL with a plus-34 rating. ... Kent Johnson has 17 points (9-8-17) in the past 15 games, including a four-game point streak, and is second in the NHL in goals scored per 60 minutes at 5-on-5. He notched his 100th career point Thursday. ... Adam Fantilli has a 10-11-21 line in the last 21 games and points in four straight games. … James van Riemsdyk has notched a 10-9-19 line in the last 21 games. ... Ivan Provorov has four goals and six points in the last seven games. ... Boone Jenner has five assists in three games this season since his return from injury and notched his second career three-helper game Thursday. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have 39 goals this season, the most in the NHL, and 148 points, good for second place. ... Provorov is one assist from 200 in his NHL career.

This Day in CBJ History

March 1, 2001: Espen Knutsen runs his point streak to seven for the inaugural CBJ team, notching a pair of assists in 5-2 win at Nashville.

March 1, 2012: Steve Mason earns his final shutout as a Blue Jacket, stopping 33 shots in a 2-0 win at Colorado.

March 1, 2017: The Blue Jackets add a pair of veterans for the stretch run, acquiring forward Lauri Korpikoski from Dallas for defenseman Dillon Heatherington and trading defenseman Dalton Prout to New Jersey for fellow blueliner Kyle Quincey.

March 1, 2020: Zach Werenski scores his NHL-leading 20th goal of the season, extending his CBJ record for goals in a season by a defenseman, in a 5-3 victory at Vancouver.

March 1, 2022: Jake Christiansen scores his first career NHL goal during a 4-3 victory at Nationwide Arena vs. New Jersey.

March 1, 2023: Columbus acquires goaltender Jonathan Quick, a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 third-round pick from Los Angeles in exchange for defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov and goaltender Joonas Korpisalo.