The second-largest crowd in NHL history is expected Saturday night when the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry moves to the ice for an NHL Stadium Series matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and the host Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium.
More than 90,000 fans are projected for the contest that features two teams in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The NHL attendance record is 105,491 for the 2014 Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium that featured a 3-2 shootout victory by the Toronto Maple Leafs over the Red Wings.
The Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is considered one of the most bitter in college football and has produced the eventual national champion each of the last two seasons. The most recent matchup on Nov. 30 at Ohio Stadium, which was won 13-10 by the Wolverines, featured a postgame brawl when Michigan players attempted to plant their flag at midfield and were confronted by Ohio State players. Police had to deploy pepper spray in an attempt to stop the melee.
So expect there to be a high-charged atmosphere for Saturday’s contest.
“These are hallowed grounds in Columbus, so to be out here and playing hockey is going to be neat,” Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly, who grew up in the Columbus suburb of Dublin attending Buckeyes football games at “The Shoe,” told NHL.com after surveying the rink layout earlier this week.
It will be the second half of a home-and-home between the Blue Jackets and Red Wings. Columbus, behind two goals by James van Riemsdyk and a goal by Kuraly, won the first one 5-2 on Thursday in Detroit.
The game has significant ramifications for the Eastern Conference playoff race. Detroit, fourth in the Atlantic Division, holds the first wild-card spot with 66 points while Columbus, fourth in the Metropolitan Conference, also moved up to 66 points with the win Thursday and holds the second wild-card spot.
“The games are very meaningful,” Detroit coach Todd McLellan said prior to Thursday’s loss. “Outdoor just adds a lot more drama to it, but on Sunday when we all wake up, the actual hockey part of it — the points and what comes out of it — will be the most important.”
Detroit took a 1-0 lead on Alex DeBrincat’s 27th goal of the season 27 seconds into the second period on Thursday but Columbus answered with four consecutive goals, including two by van Riemsdyk, later in the period. J.T. Compher cut the Columbus lead to 4-2 with a power-play goal but Kirill Marchenko sealed the win with an empty-netter with 57 seconds to go.
“We had a lot of chances in the first period and didn’t get anything,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “Instead of getting frustrated, we used that for momentum.”
Boone Jenner, who missed the first 56 games of the season with a shoulder injury, had three assists for the Blue Jackets and now has five assists in his first three games back.
Compher, who had his sixth multi-point game of the season with a goal and an assist, starred for the University of Michigan before being drafted by Buffalo in the 2013 NHL Draft. He said he was looking forward to the rematch in Ohio Stadium.
“(Friday) is the day for fun — skating with the family, seeing the rink for the first time and enjoying it,” Compher said. “When we get to Saturday, it’s normal routine. We know what’s at stake and how important every point is, so when Saturday comes around it’ll be about executing our game plan to the best of our ability.”
