The Columbus Blue Jackets’ emotional home opener began with a touching tribute to Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau before the team fell to the Florida Panthers 4-3. The back-and-forth tilt was decided by Eetu Luostarinen’s goal at 15:12 of the third period. Sean Monahan scored a goal in the second frame and immediately pointed to the banner raised earlier in the night in honor of Gaudreau. Other goal scorers included Cole Sillinger, Anton Lundell, Dmitry Kulikov, Sam Reinhart, and James van Riemsdyk. It was hard fought game for the Blue Jackets, who outshot the Panthers 38-22, despite the loss.
Related: Blue Jackets To Honor Johnny & Matthew Gaudreau In Home Opener
Honoring Johnny Hockey
In a special pregame ceremony, the Blue Jackets raised a “13” banner to celebrate Gaudreau, who passed away tragically along with his brother in August. The team had a video presentation to celebrate his legacy and invited his family onto the ice, including Johnny’s wife Meredith, children Noa and Johnny Jr, parents Guy and Jane, and sister Katie; Guy Gaudreau was invited to take part in the Blue Jackets practices on Monday and Tuesday as well. Monahan stood next to Meredith during the ceremony with Noa and Johnny Jr. in their arms.
13 forever ❤️ pic.twitter.com/qWLV8DNfLa
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 15, 2024
The Blue Jackets took the opening face-off with Gaudreau’s spot on left wing empty. No one moved while the game clock ran down for 13 seconds. The organization also announced that they have raised over $250,000 for the Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau Foundation. While it would have been nice to see a win on the ice, most will remember how the Gaudreau family was honored on this night.
Zach Werenski Continues To Impress
No one seems to be benefitting from head coach Dean Evason’s new system more than Zach Werenski. Evason’s system calls for his defensemen to be more aggressive in the offensive zone, and Werenski has taken that to heart. He led the team with 21:52 of ice time and 6 shots. He has looked electric in the opening games, including last night. He created dangerous scoring chances, pinging a few off the post. While he didn’t end up on the score sheet, he drove the play almost every time he was on the ice.
He changed his diet in the offseason to cut down about 15 pounds to improve his stamina and skating (from ‘Blue Jackets Sunday Gathering: Changes have Zach Werenski poised to reach a new level’, The Athletic, 10/13/24). If he can stay healthy, this could be his most productive season yet. He put up a career-high 11 goals and 57 points in 70 games last season and could surpass those numbers in 2024-25.
Blue Jackets Look Dangerous at 6-on-5
In recent seasons, the Blue Jackets have struggled at the end of close games. Per Natural Stat Trick, the team scored only 5 goals in 43 games when the net was empty and gave up 19 in 2023-24. Not only did they not win one game after pulling their goalie, they didn’t tie any of them force overtime.
In three games this season, they have pulled the goalie twice and haven’t allowed a goal against. They scored one last night to pull within one off van Riemsdyk’s first goal as a Blue Jacket. They also had a few high-danger chances, including one by Yegor Chinakhov that was saved miraculously by Spencer Knight to hold the lead.
While the results aren’t there yet, the 6-on-5 unit has looked much more effective at generating good shots and maintaining possession. They are also better at entering the zone and generating quality shots. This is just another example of how the team continues to show improvement over past years. A few more lucky bounces or slightly better shot placement, and they will be winning far more games than in previous seasons.
Blue Jackets’ Special Night
Even if the on-ice result wasn’t what they wanted, it was an unforgettable night for the organizationa and fans. The ceremony topped off by Monahan’s goal was poetic. The team played hard until the end, and Evason said after the game that his team is “playing winning hockey.”
But last night was about more than hockey. These men are fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, and friends. The 60 minutes they spend on the ice is fun, but it’s far less important than the lives they live outside of the sport. By all accounts, Johnny Gaudreau lived a wonderful life both on and off the ice. With his banner now hanging from the Nationwide Arena rafters, fans will remember his legacy and impact on the Blue Jackets and the game at large. Hopefully, it will serve as an inspiration to work hard to achieve your dreams, and to support and care about one another, just as Johnny did.
