The Columbus Blue Jackets will open the season with heavy hearts when they face off against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night in St. Paul, Minn.
It will be the Blue Jackets’ first game since Johnny Gaudreau, a beloved teammate and star forward, was killed by a suspected drunk driver this offseason near his home in New Jersey on Aug. 29. Gaudreau’s younger brother, Matthew, also was killed in the crash while they were out on a bicycle ride on the eve of their sister’s wedding.
Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will wear “13” on the front of his mask throughout the season in honor of his fallen teammate.
“I just wanted to have Johnny with us this season,” Merzlikins said, “and with me, on my helmet.”
Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason will try to guide his players through their new normal. Evason, who will face the team he previously coached from 2019-24, said he will emphasize a simple approach this season as Columbus looks to get off to a good start.
“(I want) work,” Evason said. “Simply work. Everybody has a different skill set, right? Some guys are going to have this skill set that they’re going to have a better opportunity to score goals. Some guys have a skill set where they’re going to block shots. Some pass the puck better and skate a little better.
“But we want to see them all work and compete every single day. If it’s practice, if it’s a drill, if it’s a game, if it’s in the locker room or in the weight room, just work and just compete and give yourself that best opportunity to have success — not individually, but give your team the opportunity to have success. And our work ethic is really high.”
Minnesota also is looking to improve after missing the playoffs last season.
The Wild are led by playmaking forward Kirill Kaprizov, who tallied 46 goals and 50 assists in 75 games last season. Matt Boldy finished second on the team with 69 points (29 goals, 40 assists), and Joel Eriksson Ek was third with 64 points (30, 34).
All three players return this season for Minnesota. So, too, does defenseman Brock Faber, who emerged as a breakout rookie in 2023-24 with 47 points (8, 39) in 82 games while also providing reliability in the defensive zone.
Faber, who turned 22 in August, said he was looking to take another step this season. He said this despite finishing as runner-up to the Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard for NHL Rookie of the Year.
“I look at last year, and I’m not necessarily disappointed,” he said. “But I’m not ecstatic, if that makes sense. I have a lot to improve on. I have a lot to give.
“Playing in my first full year, that really helped me realize what it takes to be not only a good player but a consistently dominant player in this league.”
Filip Gustavsson is expected to start in net for Minnesota. The 26-year-old from Sweden is looking to bounce back after a disappointing campaign last season in which he went 20-18-4 with a 3.06 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage.
In two games against Columbus, Gustavsson is 1-0-1 with a 2.81 GAA and a .932 save percentage.
Merzlikins is expected to start in net for the Blue Jackets. He went 13-17-8 with a 3.45 GAA and an .897 save percentage last season.
This will be Merzlikins’ fifth career game against the Wild. In his first four matchups, he is 2-0-2 with a 2.85 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
–Field Level Media
