Detroit Red Wings blitz Columbus Blue Jackets in Ohio, 6-1: Game thread replay
Game 18: Detroit Red Wings (8-5-4) vs. Columbus Blue Jackets (6-9-1)
When: 7 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
TV: Bally Sports Detroit.
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) (Red Wings radio affiliates).
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Game notes: The primary colors on the ice for tonight’s matchup in Columbus will be, of course, blue and red. But you could squint and see a bit of maize in there, too, as both squads feature a few former Michigan players.
For the Wings, there’s captain Dylan Larkin and forward Andrew Copp, naturally; they teamed up for one season in Ann Arbor back in 2014-15. Larkin has been solid this season; his 12 assists are tied for the team lead (with Domink Kubalik) while his seven goals are second (behind only Kubalik), giving him 19 points, second on the roster. (You’ll never guess who’s No. 1.) Copp hasn’t quite produced at the level dictated by his five-year, $28 million contract, though six of his eight points this season have come in his past nine games.
Another member of that ’14-15 Wolverines squad won’t hit the Nationwide Arena ice tonight, as defenseman Zach Werenski, who had three goals and five assists in 13 games this year, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. The Blue Jackets have a pair of younger Wolverines on the roster, though, in Kent Johnson (their first-round pick in 2021) and Nick Blankenburg, Johnson’s teammate the past two seasons in Ann Arbor. Johnson hasn’t scored since picking up goals in three straight games from Oct. 22-25, but he have assists in each of his past two games — both Blue Jackets wins — and has eight points in 13 games. Blankenburg, meanwhile, has appeared in just seven games, with his most recent coming on Nov. 10, when he had an empty-net goal against the Flyers.
After Saturday’s game in Columbus, the Wings finally return to Little Caesars Arena for their longest homestand of the season: Five games, beginning with a visit from the Nashville Predators on Wednesday. That’s followed by visits from the Coyotes (Friday), Maple Leafs (Nov. 28), Sabres (Nov. 30) and Golden Knights (Dec. 3). The Blue Jackets are in the midst of an epic homestand themselves; the Wings are the third of six visitors, and the Blue Jackets will be back on the ice Sunday as the Florida Panthers hit town.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings beat Columbus Blue Jackets, 6-1: Game thread replay
