Panthers, Blue Jackets Put on a Show on Emotional Night in Columbus

After a touching tribute to Johnny Gaudreau to open the night, the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets put on a show on the ice. Just as Johnny would have wanted.

When the Florida Panthers and Columbus Blue Jackets took the ice on Tuesday night, the result was secondary.

The Blue Jackets played their first home game since the tragic passing of star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, and the team and the fans came together for a touching tribute to him and his family.

Both teams took the ice in No. 13 Gaudreau sweaters for warm-ups, the Blue Jackets showed a five-minute video tribute detailing Johnny’s love for his family, hockey and the friends and teammates he made along the way, like Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, and then lifted a banner to the rafters in his honor.

But even after the banner was lifted and the puck was dropped, the Panthers and Blue Jackets were not done honoring Johnny.

They took the ice with four skaters on the ice — leaving the left wing spot Gaudreau would have occupied open — and, with the help of the Panthers, let the puck drop while giving their beloved teammates a stick tap for the first 13 seconds.

The fans erupted into cheers, and eventually, “Johnny Hockey” chants until the clock bled down to 19:47.

And for the remaining 59:47, both teams honored the words of Johnny’s wife, Meredith, that she shared with the crowd before the start of the game: “Let’s love the game that John loved.”

And that they did, dropping the puck, again, for the hockey game.

It was a close, entertaining one that gave the fans a sense of hope and joy following a summer marred by tragedy.

The first period was tight, with both teams coming out of it without a goal after the Panthers let two power play opportunities come and go.

Then, 41 seconds into the second period, Kent Johnson stole the puck away from Carter Verhaeghe and sent Cole Sillinger off on a rush. He beat Spencer Knight with a quick wrist shot to give the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead.

Anton Lundell answered back just under 10 minutes later, slipping a slick feed from Sam Reinhart through Elvis Merzlinkins’ five-hole to tie the game up.

Sean Monahan, who signed with Columbus in the offseason in part to reunite with Gaudreau, a close friend of his from his time with Calgary had his shining moment 11:22 into the second period.

He jammed home his own rebound and pointed up at Gaudreau’s brand new banners in the rafters after giving Columbus a 2-1 lead.

The crowd gave Monahan an ovation once the puck dropped to cheer him on after he honored his dear friend.

That lead only lasted 37 seconds, as Dmitry Kulikov tied the game with a knuckler of a slap shot, but it stood as a moment that the city of Columbus could hold onto.

Reinhart then put the Panthers ahead 3-2 with less than a second to go in the second period.

Eetu Luostarinen extended the lead to 4-2 with a nifty breakaway goal off of a stretch pass from Reinhart.

With the Blue Jackets pressing for a comeback attempt with the net empty and the extra attacker out, James van Riemsdyk deflected a Damon Severson goal that took a trip through heavy traffic past Knight to make it a one-goal game with 2:39 to go.

Knight made save after save as the Blue Jackets kept pushing for an equalizer, including a huge save on a big rebound chance from Yegor Chinakhov with 39.2 seconds to go that he just got the tip of his glove on.

He and the Panthers held on and skated away with a 4-3 win, but that was the least important thing that happened on the ice that night.

These teams honored Johnny Gaudreau and played one hell of a hockey game.

One he must have thoroughly enjoyed watching from the great ice rink in heaven.