Gameday Guide: Nash ceremony highlights busy night vs. Bruins

It's been quite a while since there has been a more anticipated regular season game in Blue Jackets history than the one
tonight against the Boston Bruins at Nationwide Arena
.
Not only are the Jackets in the midst of trying to battle back into the playoff picture against a team ahead of them in the standings, the storylines are thick.
Of course, as everyone knows, tonight will be the ceremony to retire the first number in team history as Rick Nash's No. 61 will go to the rafters before tonight's game (and as a reminder, fans are asked to be in their seats to watch by 5:30 p.m., with doors opening at 5).

Meanwhile, former CBJ captain Nick Foligno, one of the top players in franchise history, is back in Nationwide Arena for the first time as an opponent after being traded last year at the deadline signing with Boston in the offseason. Sean Kuraly is on the opposite side of that, as the former Bruin will skate against his former teammates for the first time as well.
Here's what to know about each.
Nash Makes History: Only one player on the CBJ roster was a teammate of Nash's in Columbus -- that would be Jake Voracek, who spent three years with him from 2009-11 -- but the impact the franchise record holder in games, goals, assists and points made isn't lost on those who have been around for a while.
"It's pretty special," current captain Boone Jenner said. "I didn't play with him, but just being in Columbus for nine years, you recognize how big of a presence he was in Columbus for this organization, for the team, for so many years. He put Columbus on the map. I remember getting drafted here, and when you think of Columbus, it was Rick Nash."
This will be the first number to be retired in team history, and it really is one of the ultimate honors in the game.
"I think it's a big moment for the organization," head coach Brad Larsen said. "To stay in the game long enough in one spot and to be relevant enough for that amount of time, it's hard to do. It's really hard to be consistent and elevate your game every single night, and I know Rick comes in with high expectations as the No. 1 overall pick. He met them and exceeded them in a lot of ways. For guys to see that and Rick being a part of the fabric of the organization, it's awesome."
For more Nash coverage, you can
relive his top 10 moments here
,
hear from the man himself
ahead of the ceremony, read about
the impact he had on the growth of Columbus hockey
as well as
the inspiration he still provides
, and
find out how 61 became 61
. Also be sure to check out
CBJ61.com
to read more about his career and share your memories of Nash.
Nick Returns: It is a pretty rare thing to have three captains on hand, and that will be the case as Nash, Foligno and Jenner are the last three players to wear the "C" since Nash had the honor bestowed upon him in 2008.
Foligno never quite caught Nash in any of the major statistical categories, but you also can't tell the story of the organization without No. 71, as he is third all-time in games, fourth in goals, third in assists and third in points. He also was a major part of the community in his time in Columbus, and it's an emotional but exciting return for Foligno.
"I have so many great memories of my time here and just the people that I got to work with, so much respect for the organization from the top down, the McConnell family and on through, Jarmo and JD, so it's really nice to come back and celebrate that with them," Foligno said after Boston's morning skate.
"I think the way it ended, it was kind of quick to get traded out of here, so it's nice to come back and in a way for me to say thank you to everybody. I'm enjoying it. My head is spinning a little bit obviously, but it's just great to see everybody."
On the other side, the feelng is certainly mutual for those who spend a lot of time with Foligno when he was one of the leaders of the club.
"He's obviously meant a lot to me throughout my career," Jenner said. "Getting to sit beside him for the eight years together and learn from him when I was coming into the league, it meant a lot. I could just be a sponge and sit beside him and soak up a lot, so I have to thank him for that."
Kuraly Faces Bruins: On another night, this would be a big storyline, as the Dublin native spent the first five years of his NHL career with Boston, totaling 24 goals and 68 points in 270 games with the Bruins.
He also was on a team that came within a game of winning the Stanley Cup in 2019, and Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke glowingly of how Kuraly grew in his time with the Bruins. Kuraly, meanwhile, felt the same way about how his career began with a storied, successful franchise.
"I got to learn from some future Hall of Famers and got to be in the same locker room as some pretty great players and great people and great leaders," Kuraly said. "A lot of great teammates and friends that I knew over the years. I think the biggest thing is I got to learn a lot about being in the NHL, and I'm really thankful for that."

3 Keys to the Game

Start on time: It might be hard to be ready to go given the pregame ceremony, but the Blue Jackets will have to have in mind that the energy has to be there from the start.
Fight to create: Boston has some of the best defensive stats in the league and some lines that can really carry play, so the Jackets have to have the big guns firing.
60 minutes: This is a veteran team that can expose mistakes, so the Blue Jackets have to be on their game for the entirety.

Notable

Columbus is 10-4-1 in the last 15 games. … Patrik Laine notched a goal last night, giving him a 15-9-24 line in the last 15 contests, plus nine multipoint games and five multigoal games in that span. … Oliver Bjorkstrand, who became the seventh player in CBJ history with 100 career goals on Sunday, has seven goals in the past 11 games. … CBJ captain Boone Jenner has 23 goals on the season and 10 points (4-6-10) in his last nine games. Jenner also boasts an 11-12-23 line in the last 23 games. ... Gustav Nyquist has four shorthanded goals on the season, tied for first in the NHL with Florida's Aleksandar Barkov and Anaheim's Isac Lundestrom. … Max Domi notched his 300th NHL point with an assist Tuesday and is one goal from 100 in his career. ... Jakub Voracek's 29 primary assists are third in the NHL. … Jack Roslovic has a 1-4-5 line in the last five games. … After missing four games, Zach Werenski played 32:51 last night vs. Los Angeles, his second most ice time of the season. With a career 73-149-222 line, he is one point from surpassing Seth Jones (50-173-223) for the most in CBJ history among blueliners. … The Blue Jackets have trailed in 18 of their 28 wins this year, tied for the most in the NHL, and have seven wins when trailing after two periods, the most in the NHL and the second most in franchise history. ... Even with last night's overtime loss vs. Los Angeles, Coumbus is an NHL-best 9-2 this year in extra time (6-1 in OT, 3-1 in shootouts). … This is the first of a three-game series between the teams this year. Columbus swept the two-game 2019-20 series, winning 2-1 in overtime at Boston on Jan. 2, 2020, and 3-0 at home Jan. 14, 2020. … The Blue Jackets have earned points in seven of the last nine meetings overall (6-2-1) and won four of the last five at Nationwide Arena (4-1-0).

Projected Lineup

(Subject to change)
Gustav Nyquist - Boone Jenner - Patrik Laine
Jakub Voracek - Jack Roslovic - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Max Domi - Sean Kuraly - Justin Danforth
Yegor Chinakhov - Cole Sillinger - Emil Bemstrom
Zach Werenski - Andrew Peeke
Vladislav Gavrikov - Dean Kukan
Gabriel Carlsson - Gavin Bayreuther
Elvis Merzlikins (confirmed starter)
Jean Francois-Berube
Scratches: Brendan Gaunce
Injured Reserve:Adam Boqvist (upper body, day to day); Joonas Korpisalo (lower body, day to day); Daniil Tarasov (hip surgery; out for season); Alexandre Texier (fractured finger; out four weeks as of Jan. 27); Jake Bean (groin strain; out four weeks as of Jan. 30); Eric Robinson (knee; out six weeks as of Jan. 31)
Roster Report: Merzlikins will get the start again, while one gametime decision for the lineup remains but it could be the same 18 skaters as took on the Kings on Friday.

This Day in CBJ History

March 5, 2006: Rick Nash scores the lone shootout goal vs. Jean-Sebastian Giguere as Columbus earned a 3-2 victory at the Pond. It was just the seventh shootout winner in team history.
March 5, 2013: Artem Anisimov tallies the game winner in a 4-3 shootout win at Edmonton.
March 5, 2014: The Blue Jackets made three trades at the deadline, acquiring forward Matt Frattin and two conditional draft picks from Los Angeles in exchange for forward Marian Gaborik; adding defenseman Nick Schultz from Edmonton in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, and trading for defenseman Matt Taormina and forward Dana Tyrell from Tampa Bay in exchange for forward Jonathan Marchessault and forward Dalton Smith.
March 5, 2017: Sergei Bobrovsky stops 20 shots for his second shutout in four days as the Blue Jackets blanked New Jersey by a 3-0 score on the road.
March 5, 2019: Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin score in a shootout to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 win at New Jersey.