#LGRW Daily: Columbus series begins with matinee to celebrate #MLKDay

DETROIT --Vibes were good, and the mood was upbeat at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday afternoon, about 15 hours after the Detroit Red Wings secured their first win of the season. As will be the case all season long, it was also time to turn the page and quickly get ready for the next one.

The Red Wings' 4-2 victory over Carolina not only got Detroit in the win column, it ensured a split in the season-opening two-game series, a feat which most teams in the NHL will gladly take during this shortened season and unique format.
"It's huge," center Robby Fabbri said of the split. "We're already feeling it. This year is going to go by quick. You're playing a lot of games. The good thing about that is, you play a team and you get them the next night, or two nights later. It was a good bounce-back for us and a huge split with a very good team in our division.
"We're going to go into the next series with the same mentality and try to carry over that second game into tomorrow."

That next series will feature the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets, which enter Monday's game with an 0-2 record after the Nashville Predators protected home ice with a pair of wins, including a 5-2 triumph on Saturday night. Puck drop from Little Caesars Arena is set for Noon (NBCSN, FOX Sports Detroit, 97.1 The Ticket).
Monday's matinee will be part of the NHL's tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. Day through the theme of Celebrating Equality. Martin Luther King Jr. Day coincides with the 63rd anniversary of Willie O'Ree becoming the first black player to skate in an NHL game. The Red Wings and other teams across the NHL have begun wearing a custom helmet decal that pays tribute to O'Ree and Martin Luther King Jr. Detroit will also host Columbus for the series finale on Tuesday night.
What the Red Wings won't be doing is taking Columbus lightly. The Blue Jackets were 3-0 against Detroit last season, and a few bounces of the puck could have easily led to a completely different result Saturday night in Nashville. The game was tied, 2-2, midway through the third period.
"We know how good Columbus is," said Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill. "We know they've got one of the very best 'D' corps in the league, two top-10 defensemen in the league that play together, and they play lots, and they play all night. We know they're extremely well-coached; we know they're going to play hard and we know they're going to be really hard to get opportunities on. For us to win, we've got to compete like crazy.
"I thought we competed fine the first night against Carolina. The second night we competed like crazy and that's going to have to be the way that we play in order to win."

SCOUTING THE RED WINGS

• A win over the Blue Jackets would give the Red Wings a 2-1 start for the second consecutive season. Detroit started the 2019-20 campaign 3-1 through four games before suffering an eight-game losing streak.
• In his first game wearing the Red Wings sweater, veteran forward Bobby Ryan wasted no time gathering his first point. He gave Detroit the 1-0 lead early in the second period after receiving a nifty pass from Filip Zadina, who tallied his first two assists of the season.
• Zadina's multi-point game was the third of his career, and marked his first points in nearly a calendar year - Jan. 22, 2020, before his season was eventually cut short on Feb. 1 due to a lower-body injury.

• Fabbri's game-winning goal against Carolina on Saturday night was his fourth game-winner since Detroit traded for the veteran center early last season.
• Goalie Jonathan Bernier earned the win in his season debut, stopping 29 of 31 shots. Bernier was in net for 15 of Detroit's 17 wins last season.

SCOUTING THE BLUE JACKETS

• Center Alexandre Texier and veteran defenseman Michael Del Zotto have led the Blue Jackets' offensive output in the young season, with each entering Monday's game with two points. Texier has scored a goal and added an assist, while Del Zotto has tallied a pair of helpers. Nick Foligno and Boone Jenner have also both scored goals.
• Goalies Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins split the starting duties in the first two games. Korpisalo gave up just two goals while making 32 saves in the opener, a 3-1 loss on Jan. 14.
• The Blue Jackets are mentored by veteran coach John Tortorella, who is in his fifth season at the helm. During his NHL coaching career with the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Blue Jackets, his teams have qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs 11 times. He led the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup championship and the Rangers to the 2012 Eastern Conference Final.
• Columbus got the better of Detroit last season, winning all three games. But offense wasn't a problem for the Red Wings, at least in the first two meetings. The Blue Jackets outlasted the Wings at Nationwide Arena on Nov. 21, 2019, 5-4, and won at Little Caesars Arena a month later (Dec. 17, 2019), 5-3. Tyler Bertuzzi scored a combined three goals against Columbus last season, including two in the first meeting. Forward Adam Erne found the back of the net twice in the lone game at Little Caesars Arena.