Deen's Daily
Deen’s Daily: Emotional Night in Columbus; Matvei Michkov Scoring Begins
Job well done by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
This entire season was never going to be easy following the tragedy that took the life of Johnny and his brother Matthew Gaudreau on Aug. 29. But last night specifically — the home opener at Nationwide Arena — was always going to be among the heaviest nights that team was going to endure.
Hosting the Florida Panthers and Gaudreau’s former teammates Sam Bennet and Matthew Tkachuk (although Tkachuck was unable to be there), the Blue Jackets held a pre-game ceremony for their former star. Gaudreau’s family was present on the ice as they raised a rafter to honor Gaudreau’s life.
It was also a nice touch for Columbus to line up for the opening faceoff with just four skaters — keeping the spot on the wing for Gaudreau. The puck dropped, and former Flames center Sean Monahan pushed the puck toward Bennett, his former teammate, and Bennet held the puck in Gaudreau’s spot. Both teams stood still and allowed 13 seconds to come off the clock before starting again and getting the game underway.
Around The NHL
Philadelphia Hockey Now: Have a night, Matvei Michkov. Despite the Flyers being unable to hold the lead against Edmonton, Their young phenom, Michkov, scored his first two career goals to open the scoring. Both goals came on the power play, both in the first period, and both coming under five minutes apart. The 19-year-old is getting more comfortable with each passing game and is showing flashes of why he’s a Calder Trophy contender and a future star in this league.
Chicago Hockey Now: In the finale of a four-game road trip to start the season, the Chicago Blackhawks fell 3-1 to the Calgary Flames. The story here isn’t as much about Chicago as it is about Nazem Kadri and the Flames, who are 4-0-0 to start the year for just the third time in franchise history. Jonathan Huberdeau has played well, Rasmus Andersson has been great, and a lot of the younger players are pitching in too.
San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks took the Dallas Stars all the way to the shootout but were unable to come away with two points. The Stars are 4-0-0 to start the season and seem like one of the best-constructed teams in the league this year. With both Nashville and Colorado starting 0-3, the Stars are quickly separating themselves from the rest in the Central Division.