The Blue Jackets have been one of the top teams in the NHL at home this season, posting an 8-3-1 in 12 games within the friendly confines of Nationwide Arena.
On the road, though, it’s been a different story. Columbus won just one of its first nine contests away from Nationwide Arena, a 1-6-2 record that included a winless four-game road swing through California and Seattle in early November.
Lately, though, things have been showing signs of turning. The Blue Jackets have won two road games in a row, including a comprehensive 6-3 victory Sunday afternoon at Chicago.
“We’re just growing together,” head coach Dean Evason said. “It’s a process learning how to play the same way consistently, being predictable in all areas of our game. If we do that, then we give ourselves a chance. It shouldn’t be, but for whatever reason, it’s tougher on the road, but our guys are finding some consistency, which is a positive.”
Tonight’s contest in Calgary won’t just be any road game, though, and not just because the Blue Jackets beat the Flames in Nationwide Arena just four days ago. It will be the Jackets’ first trip to Calgary since the offseason passing of Johnny Gaudreau, who was a beloved player in the Stampede City after eight-plus standout seasons that included six All-Star Game appearances.
The Flames will honor Gaudreau and his brother Matthew with a pregame ceremony, and his family will be in attendance, with father Guy Gaudreau taking the ice for Flames practice on Monday. It’s sure to be an emotional time for everyone involved, with both teams bonded by the tragedy.
“I think you just encourage (the players), everyone, just to be open and honest and just not to hold anything in,” Evason said about the situation. “If you feel something, then let it go. If that’s anger, if it’s sadness, whatever your emotion is, just let it go. It’s OK. Everybody’s different. Everybody heals differently and goes through it differently.”
Things could be particularly emotional for Sean Monahan, Gaudreau’s longtime teammate and linemate in Calgary who will be returning with the Blue Jackets.
“We had so many great memories here together,” Monahan said Monday in Calgary. “A lot of years, a lot of big wins, big nights. We had a lot of fun playing together. ... You feel his presence every day, and I think having that is something that helps me get by.”
Know The Foe: Calgary Flames
Head coach: Ryan Huska (Third season)
Team stats: Goals per game: 2.52 (28th) | Scoring defense: 2.92 (10th) | PP: 19.7 percent (17th) | PK: 70.9 percent (30th)
The narrative: Few franchises in the NHL yo-yo as much as the Flames, as Calgary has missed the playoffs the past two seasons after winning 50 games, finishing first in the Pacific Division and reaching the second round in 2021-22. It’s part of a pattern in which the team has made the playoffs five of the last 10 years, but in consecutive seasons just once (2018-19 and 2019-20). The yo-yo is on the way up this season so far, as the Flames enter in a playoff position through 25 games.
Team leaders: Scoring hasn’t been the forte this season for the Flames so far, as Calgary doesn’t have a single player in the top 100 in the league in points. Nazem Kadri is the team’s top point scorer with 15, including eight goals that ties Jonathan Huberdeau for the most on the squad. Huberdeau has 14 points and is tied for second on the team in scoring with Rasmus Andersson (5-9-14), with MacKenzie Weegar next with a 3-10-13 line. Young center Connor Zary (5-7-12) is also putting together a solid second NHL campaign.
So far in net, Dustin Wolf (13 starts) and Dan Vladar (12) have split duties. Wolf is a two-time AHL All-Star and league MVP in 2022-23 who is in his first full year in the NHL; he’s 8-4-1 with a 2.59 GAA and .918 save percentage. Vladar is 4-5-3 with a 2.87 GAA and .900 save percentage.
What's new: A veteran of just one NHL game as a player, Huska has been in the organization since 2014-15, first serving as the team’s AHL head coach before being promoted to an NHL assistant and finally head coach. His squad won its first four games this year and was one of the league’s surprising squads in the early going, but the Flames just finished a winless four-game road trip that included a stop Friday in Columbus for a 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets.
Trending: Columbus swept the season series a year ago, and made it three wins in a row with last week’s triumph. The Blue Jackets are 4-0-1 in the last five contests over the past two-plus seasons.
Former CBJ: Defenseman Jake Bean has played in 12 games this season, posting a 1-2-3 line.
