NHL’s Red Wings And Blue Jackets Will Play The Highest-Stakes Outdoor Game In A Long Time

The NHL’s outdoor games tend to be more of an event — than eventful.

But when the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings at this weekend’s Stadium Series, there is plenty on the line. Forget about the novelty of another outdoor game. The winner could determine who ends up making the playoffs.

Heading into Thursday night’s indoor game between Detroit and Columbus — a warm-up before Saturday’s outdoor game — the Eastern Conference’s seventh-place Red Wings held a two-point lead over eighth-place Blue Jackets for the final two wild-card spots. From there, the competition gets even more crowded.

The New York Rangers, Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins are tied with 62 points and just two points back of Columbus. Meanwhile, Detroit is only four points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for third place in the Atlantic Division, with Tampa Bay holding  a game in hand.

With so much at stake, you can see why these back-to-back games between Detroit and Columbus mean so much, and especially the Stadium Series matchup at Ohio Stadium.

The way things have shook out in previous years, there wasn’t anywhere close to the high-stakes Michigan-Ohio showdown we’re about to see in Columbus. Earlier this season, the lowly Chicago Blackhawks took on the St. Louis Blues at Wrigley Field in a game that really held no significance. The game wasn’t even close, with the Blues winning 6-2.

It’s often like this. A year ago, there wasn’t as much on the line for the participants in the Stadium Series games. The New Jersey Devils and New York Islanders chased a playoff spot at the time, but by the end of the season, the games didn’t affect much. And in the 2024 Winter Classic, the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken’s game that didn’t affect their competitive trajectory, either.

For Detroit and Columbus, these next games could define their season.

Obviously, the Red Wings and Blue Jackets cannot afford many more losses – regulation-time losses, or overtime or shootout defeats – if they’re going to outlast the other wild-card contenders. So Thursday’s game is a table-setter of sorts for the real drama on Saturday night. If Detroit falls in regulation time, they’re going to lose the small amount of space between themselves and the Rangers, Senators and Bruins. The same goes for the Blue Jackets.

No matter who wins Thursday’s game between the Wings and Jackets, the losing team on Thursday will be in must-win territory on Saturday. Two consecutive losses in the next few days could put some of the final nails in the coffin of Detroit’s or Columbus’ post-season aspirations.

Looking Back At The Columbus Blue Jackets & Detroit Red Wings Trade History The Columbus Blue Jackets and the Detroit Red Wings facing off tonight and the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline only 9 days away, it’s a good time to revisit the trade history between the two clubs.

The NHL is coming off the massive success of the 4 Nations Face-Off. With the way the stars have aligned, there’s going to be every reason for the Red Wings and Blue Jackets’ fan bases to put their eyeballs on the Stadium Series outdoor game, either in-person or on TV. And with what should be a playoff-level game if these teams recognize the significance of the matchup, any hockey fan in general should tune in.

Fans of both teams could be watching their playoff hopes evaporate or solidify before their very eyes in the outdoor game.  That makes the Ohio outdoor game one of the highest-stakes outdoor games the NHL has staged, and we’ll be watching keenly to see how the drama plays out.

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