Game Day #24: Blue Jackets, Flames Face Off In Calgary In What Will Be A Heavy Night For Both Sides

Behind opening night and the home-opener, no game will get off to more of an emotional start more than Tuesday night's match between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames.

The number #13 patch worn on the front of the Blue Jackets' sweaters tell the story.

It will be Columbus' first game in Calgary since the August passing of Johnny Gaudreau, the Blue Jackets star forward who spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Flames.

Gaudreau and his brother Matthew were killed August 29th in an alleged drunk driving incident.

“We had so many great memories here together,” said Sean Monahan, who played with Gaudreau for nearly a decade in Calgary. "Lotta years, lotta big wins, lotta big nights."

The two were best friends, and Monahan's offseason signing with the Blue Jackets had a lot to do with the chance to reunite with Gaudreau and raise their kids together.

As they were for the Blue Jackets opening night dedications, the Gaudreau family will be in attendance for pre-game moments. That includes his parents, Guy and Jane, sisters Katie and Kristen, wife Meredith, and their two children, Johnny and Noa. 

Guy Gaudreau, as he was with the Blue Jackets in October, was with the Flames in practice in the days leading up to the game. 

Flames captain Mikael Backlund knows the emotions of the night. 

"It’s going to be a tough night (Tuesday) for sure, but a very special night that we’ll always remember," said Backlund. "It’ll be a night to show our appreciation to the Gaudreau family." 

On the ice, this is the second meeting between the two teams in less than a week. Columbus picked up a 5-2 win in their first meeting on Friday. 

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets and Flames wrap up their season series:

• RE: CALGARY
  The Flames have just one point in their last four games, including the 5-2 loss to the Blue Jackets ... Calgary has allowed nine power play goals on 23 opportunities in their last five games (a penalty kill of 61%) ... Jakob Pelletier, a first-round pick in 2019 by Calgary, is set to make his season debut Tuesday. ... Dan Vladar starts between the posts for the Flames. He's struggled recently, giving up two or more goals in his last six starts, including six to Pittsburgh on Saturday. In 12 starts this season, he has a .900 save percentage and a 2.87 goals against average. 
   
• ROAD-TRIPPIN'
  This is game two of the Blue Jackets' second five-game road trip of the season. With a win Sunday in Chicago, Columbus has already surpassed their point total of the 0-4-1 west-coast trip in November. The confidence seems to be much stronger this time around, with the Blue Jackets right in the mix for a playoff spot after a 6-1-1 mark since the dismal road trip. 
   
• STREAKS, STREAKS...
  Take your pick of which point streak to keep an eye on: Zach Werenski has three straight multi-point games and an eight-game point streak, the best by any defenseman in franchise history. Kent Johnson has a point in all nine games he's played this season. Dmitri Voronkov has scored in six straight games, with four goals, four assists, and a +10 (!!) plus/minus in that stretch. 
   
• ...AND MORE STREAKS.
  Team streaks more your thing? Columbus has scored in 16 consecutive regulation periods and a goal in the first frame Tuesday will set a new franchise record. Additionally, the Blue Jackets current six-game point streak is the most they've had since points in seven straight in January of 2021. With three overtime losses in that streak, this Blue Jackets streak has already picked up the same number of points (11) — in one less game. 
   
• LINEUP PROJECTIONS
  No lineup changes are expected for Tuesday. Yegor Chinakhov remains sidelined with an upper-body injury. Elvis Merzlikins will make his seventh straight start in net. He's 5-0-1 since November 18th. Here are the complete projections: