NHL

NHL Fans Respond To Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets Opening Crucial 2-Game, Wild-Card Series

Author photo
By
Jeff Hawkins
Author photo
Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

Get to know Jeff Hawkins better
Sports Editor

Published27 Feb 2025

Disclosure
We publish independently audited content meeting strict editorial standards. Ads on our site are served by Google AdSense and are not controlled or influenced by our editorial team.
nhl twitter blue jackets win opener vs red wings (1)

Round 1 went to the squad down south.

Opening a key home-and-home series against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at Little Caesars Arena, the Columbus Blue Jackets overcame a short bench to score four unanswered second-period goals, securing a 5-2 victory.

In the setup for Saturday’s Stadium Series matchup at Ohio Stadium, the Blue Jackets (29-22-8) moved into an NHL Eastern Conference wild-card tie with the Red Wings (30-23-6).

After Cole Sillinger departed during the first period with an injury, Dean Evason alternated the top-six lineup. The Blue Jackets coach bumped up Boone Jenner and James van Riemsdyk to fill the voids. Van Riemsdyk scored two goals and Jenner was credited with three assists, all in the middle frame.

X (Twitter) users responded to Blue Jackets rookie Joseph LeBate earning his first NHL point and locker-room “Donkey” honor …

Former Michigan teammates and roomies, best friends Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski turned into frenemies for the two-game series … 

A busload of Blue Jackets players’ moms attended Thursday morning’s skate … 

Are the Blue Jackets pretending to be Buckeyes and practicing for Saturday’s outdoor game at Ohio Stadium … 

No. 700 milestone … 

Red Wings goalie Cam Talbot, taking shots during the morning skate, turned aside a series of quality first-period scoring chances to keep the game scoreless. He didn’t have the same second-period luck … 

Remaining one of the Red Wings’ hottest scorers, Alex DeBrincat opened the scoring 27 seconds into the second period off a second-chance marker … 

Tying the game on a classic van Riemsdyk effort at 4:16 of the second period, the Blue Jackets’ gritty forward tipped in a shot by Jake Christiansen … 

Blue Jackets’ Sean Kuraly utilized his glove to retrieve a rebound, dropped it and swatted the puck past Talbot at 9:43 of the second period. Replay officials reviewed the goal, but it held up … 

Kent Johnson, a former Michigan standout, executed a low-key redirection to give the Blue Jackets a 3-1 advantage. Johnson’s tally gave him 20 for the season … 

Connecting on their fourth unanswered goal of the middle frame, the Blue Jackets took control as van Riemsdyk connected off Jenner’s pass from behind the net … 

Seven seconds after going on the power play, the Red Wings’ JT Compher cut the deficit to 4-2 on a shot off the slot … 

The clincher …

Final score: Blue Jackets 5, Red Wings 2 …

Like the Ohio State football team losing to “the team up north” the past four seasons, not even Ohio Stadium’s projected attendance will fall short of Michigan Stadium’s Stadium Series record …

The Stadium Series’ Saturday itinerary …