COLUMBUS, Ohio — By mid-afternoon Wednesday, the construction of a hockey rink inside Ohio Stadium was right on schedule, with just the finishing touches required before the NHL is ready for the Stadium Series game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings on Saturday.
As NHL executive Steve Mayer spoke with the media, workers could be seen prepping a platform beside the rink where the Blue Jackets’ famous cannon will be staged as soon as it makes its way from Nationwide Arena to the Ohio State campus.
The Blue Jackets still have a game to play — they play the Red Wings on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena — but, in many ways, the momentum has begun to build toward Saturday’s celebration.
“There’s no better way than to go there and play the first one, then come back here with our fans for the Stadium Series,” Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski told The Athletic. “You can’t really draw it up any better. It’d be nice to get the first one (on Thursday).
“You never know what’s going to happen in an outdoor game, there are just so many variables. It’s one of those things that, even if you don’t get two points, you want to play the right way and establish that it’s going to be a hard two games for them. I’m sure they’re going to want the same thing.”
According to the NHL, this marks the fifth time in 43 outdoor games that the two opponents have faced each other in the previous game. It’s one of four home-and-homes on the Blue Jackets schedule, including two later this season vs. Ottawa (April 6 and 8) and Washington (April 12 and 13).
The NHL schedule-makers know what they’re doing, and they’re well aware that familiarity breeds contempt. The Blue Jackets, through their struggles over the years, do not have a clear rival, so the league needed to be creative to add a little spice.
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason, who was one of the NHL’s noteworthy agitators during his 800-game career in the 1980s and ’90s, is hoping for two physical games vs. the Wings.
“That’ll be interesting, right?” Evason said. “Hopefully it gets a little feisty. That’d be fun.”
Perhaps the biggest reason these games should be played hard and fast: Both the Blue Jackets and Red Wings are in the throes of a playoff chase in the Eastern Conference.
Through Wednesday’s game, the Red Wings (66 points) are the top wild-card team, while the Blue Jackets (64) hold the second wild card. Looming just behind them are the New York Rangers (62), Ottawa Senators (62) and Boston Bruins (62).
“It’s pretty wild when you think about the fact that these games could determine who makes (the playoffs) and who doesn’t,” Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said.
The Blue Jackets may feel as if they owe the Red Wings one (or two) after a tough loss at Nationwide Arena on Jan. 2.
With the game tied at 4, the Blue Jackets had a power play in the closing minutes of regulation. As the power play expired, Columbus defenseman Ivan Provorov had a slap shot from the right circle blocked by Detroit’s Ben Chiarot, the puck ricocheting hard toward the neutral zone.
Former Blue Jackets center Tyler Motte lunged to swat the puck ahead just as Red Wings forward Jonatan Berggren was set free from the penalty box. Berggren beat Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins on a breakaway with 35.7 seconds remaining for a 5-4 Detroit win.
It was a heartbreaking loss, but the Blue Jackets moved past it quickly. They beat the St. Louis Blues two nights later, the start of a season-long six-game winning streak.
The challenge for the Blue Jackets on Thursday will be to deal with the task at hand, even as the world around them swirls with anticipation and potential distractions.
With so many family and friends in town for Saturday’s outdoor game, the Blue Jackets decided to make Thursday’s game in Detroit part of their annual mother’s trip. The rink was busy with proud moms on Wednesday before they flew on the team’s charter mid-afternoon.
Mom’s trip is taking flight! ✈️❤️ pic.twitter.com/VFZG2rG6At
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) February 26, 2025
Further, most of the Blue Jackets players and coaches have at least 10 family or friends coming to Columbus for the weekend, with a busy slate of activities planned. The Jackets will hold a 4:30 p.m. practice in Ohio Stadium on Friday, then host a family skate under the stars.
“We have every excuse to have a lot of distractions,” Werenski said. “We have the mom’s trip, the outdoor game. It’s not a typical schedule.
“But, as a team, I think we’ve done a really good job just kind of staying focused on what’s in front of us, the task at hand. These are big games, too, so that will help.”
This is the 114th meeting between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings. Though they’ve played several home-and-home series through the years, this is arguably the most consequential.
Early in the 2010-11 season, under first-time NHL head coach Scott Arniel, the Blue Jackets were 14-6-0 and in second place in the Central Division when they played the first-place Red Wings (13-4-2) in a home-and-home on Nov. 26 and 28.
The Red Wings won 2-1 on Nov. 26 and 4-2 on Nov. 28, establishing themselves as the class of the Central Division and sending the Blue Jackets into a tailspin. They won only 20 of their final 62 games and finished last place in the Central.
This feels bigger, not just because it’s much later in the season, but because both clubs are battling for the postseason.
“Home-and-homes always make it fun,” Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly said. “I’d like to think we have an advantage (on Saturday) when this is all ready. The fans are going to be excited. They’re going to be loud.”
(Photo of Zach Werenski and Ben Chiarot: Russell LaBounty / Imagn Images)
