Saturday’s NHL outdoor Stadium Series game has met a key ingredient: an iconic venue.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are hosting the Detroit Red Wings at Ohio Stadium on the Ohio State campus.
But there’s a bonus because the game is also important in the standings.
After the Blue Jackets beat the Red Wings Thursday night, the teams are tied with 66 points and hold the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots. The winner will get sole possession of the top spot.
Saturday’s game is expected to be the second-most-attended NHL game, drawing more than 90,000 fans. The record was 105,491 in 2014, when the host Red Wings lost in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs at Michigan Stadium.
Here’s what you need to know about Saturday’s Stadium Series game between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings:
Puck drop is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. ET as the Blue Jackets and Red Wings play Saturday at Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State football team.
Saturday’s Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. The pregame was shown on ESPNEWS as the Alabama-Tennessee men’s college basketball game ran late.
Sling, Fubo and ESPN+ carry ESPN games.
The forecast calls for 29 degrees and mostly cloudy weather at puck drop. Temperatures will drop to 25 degrees.
Date: Saturday, March 1
Time: 6 p.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Streaming: Sling | Fubo | ESPN+
Site: Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
Late Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, will be commemorated at the event. They died last year when they were hit by a car while bicycling in New Jersey.
“We’re going to celebrate Johnny and do it in a different way,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president of content and events, said, according to The Columbus Dispatch, part of the USA TODAY Network. “This is a unique, worldwide forum to make sure that his story and his memory stays alive, and that he is celebrated, and the family is celebrated in a unique way. They’ll be a part of everything that goes on Saturday, as well.”
JOHNNY GAUDREAU: Blue Jackets, Red Wings honor late star with pregame outfits
There are also plans to celebrate the Buckeyes’ national champion football, women’s hockey and spirit programs during the second intermission.
The famed Blue Jackets replica Civil War cannon has made the trip to Ohio Stadium. It goes off after every Columbus goal and victory and has been known to startle visitors to Nationwide Arena.
The Ohio State Athletic Band will perform throughout the game, including during player introductions. It will play the national anthem.
The Blue Jackets are making their outdoor debut. The Red Wings are 2-0-2.
Columbus’ James van Riemsdyk has played in seven outdoor games, totaling three goals and three assists. Detroit’s Patrick Kane has appeared outdoors six times, totaling one goal and two assists. Red Wings coach Todd McLellan is 2-1, and Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason is 0-1.
Blue Jackets: Defenseman Zach Werenski is among the favorites for the Norris Trophy. He leads Columbus with 62 points. Forward Kirill Marchenko is having a breakout season and leads the team with 24 goals.
Red Wings: Forward Lucas Raymond leads the Red Wings with 62 points. No. 2 scorer Dylan Larkin is Werenski’s friend and former Michigan and U.S. 4 Nations Face-Off teammate.
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This story has been updated with new information.
