Blue Jackets vs. Red Wings Stadium Series: 3 Things to Watch

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings meet in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series.

Feb 27, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro (15) controls the puck defended by Detroit Red Wings right wing Jonatan Berggren (48) during the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-Imagn Images / Tim Fuller-Imagn Images

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings meet for the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series. The Blue Jackets are getting their first taste of playing in and hosting an outdoor game, and it should be a spectacular event. With their outdoor showdown at Ohio Stadium ready to go, let's dive into a few of the things to watch for.

1. Battle Between Playoff Hopefuls

An outdoor game is a uniquely exciting NHL game, but there's tons riding on this regular-season matchup. The Wings and Jackets are playoff hopefuls in the Eastern Conference and currently occupy the two Wild Card spots. It's a surprisingly good season for both teams, and a win in this game would be a huge achievement. Every point counts as the regular season reaches the Trade Deadline and the stretch run, and these two rising squads are putting it all out there for two points.

2. Outdoor Game Veterans

Red Wings veteran Patrick Kane and Blue Jackets winger James Van Riemsdyk are two elder statesmen in the NHL and two of the most experienced players in outdoor games. This is Kane's seventh outdoor game and Van Riemsdyk's eighth. The tandem from the 2007 NHL Draft are savvy scorers, and it wouldn't be surprising to see either one have a standout performance.

3. Dylan Larkin Rebound Game

What impact will Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin have on the outcome? The team's head coach recently called him out for a poor performance, hopefully serving as a wake-up call for the veteran center. Despite the callout, the team's head coach, Todd McLellan, wasn't concerned about Larkin's poor performance. Through 59 games, he has 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 points. Coming off of the 4 Nations Face-Off, it will be shocking for him to have two straight games of being invisible on the ice.

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