The defending Stanley Cup champions are playing their fourth consecutive road game on Tuesday, Oct. 15 when the Columbus Blue Jackets play host to the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on NHL Network and ESPN+. Fans looking to watch this NHL game can do so for free by using FuboTV ($20 off first month) or DirecTV Stream, which both offer a free trial. SlingTV doesn’t offer a free trial but has promotional offers available for streaming the game.
This game will be the first home game of the season for the Blue Jackets, who are 1-1-0 after defeating the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The Panthers are 2-2-0 with both wins this season coming against the Boston Bruins.
Who: Florida Panthers vs. Columbus Blue Jackets
When: Tuesday, Oct. 15 at 7 p.m. EST
Where: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
Stream: FuboTV (free trial); Sling; DirecTV Stream; ESPN+
What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream is an internet TV service that offers your favorite entertainment, news and sports channels, as well as local TV stations and regional sports networks. DirecTV Stream can be purchased for $79.98/month for your first two months when you sign up for the ENTERTAINMENT package and add DIRECTV Sports Pack.
What is FuboTV?
FuboTV is a streaming service that has made a significant mark in the United States live sports market. It offers a range of pricing plans: The basic plan, the “Pro” package, provides an assortment of channels, including sports, news, and entertainment options like Showtime for $79.99 per month.
What is SlingTV?
Here’s what you can watch on Sling TV, with plans starting at $40: Baseball (MLB), Basketball (NBA, NCAAB), Combat Sports (Boxing, UFC, MMA), Football (NCAAF, NFL), Golf, Hockey, Motorsports, Olympics, Soccer, Tennis and Wrestling.
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Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau’s father takes the ice with Blue Jackets on eve of home opener
By TIM REYNOLDS AP Sports Writer
The Columbus Blue Jackets now have what they call a “Johnny skate” at the end of practice. It’s a shot someone takes from the far end of the ice toward the opposite goal. Make it, players skate one lap. Miss it, players skate three laps.
That’s as in 1 and 3. 13. Johnny Gaudreau’s jersey number.
And the shooter on Monday missed it on purpose. Nobody minded, since it was Johnny Gaudreau’s father.
Guy Gaudreau — the father of the late brothers John and Matthew Gaudreau — was a guest at the Blue Jackets’ practice in Columbus, a day before the team’s home opener against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. He skated around with a few players, tapped his stick on the ice to encourage players as they skated past and had a fist-bump for everybody before the session ended
“He loves the game, loves hockey,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “It was a joy to have him out there.”
Guy Gaudreau is former hockey coach at Hollydell Ice Arena and Gloucester Catholic High School in New Jersey. John Gaudreau — a star who would have been entering his third season with the Blue Jackets and 11th full NHL season — and Matthew Gaudreau were killed on Aug. 29 when police said they were struck by a suspected drunken driver while they were riding their bicycles on a rural road in South Jersey on the eve of their sister Katie’s wedding.
“It’s great to have Guy here,” Blue Jackets forward Sean Kuraly said. “Just reminds you of the exact same stuff John would do.”
Monday wasn’t Guy Gaudreau’s first time on the ice this season; he was a guest of the Philadelphia Flyers last month. Evason said the team got the idea to have Guy Gaudreau at practice from the gesture that Flyers coach John Tortorella made.
Tuesday night will be emotional for the Blue Jackets — for the whole NHL, really. The tributes to the Gaudreau brothers have poured in from around the hockey world for the past several weeks. In Calgary, where “Johnny Hockey” started his NHL career, goaltender Dustin Wolf’s mask is now a memorial of sorts to the Gaudreau brothers, featuring both their jersey numbers, Johnny Gaudreau in a Flames uniform and it even includes purple Gatorade and Skittles, two of his go-to treats.
Guy Gaudreau was asked if he wanted to address the team Monday and initially declined, but eventually had a bit of a chat with players. And in case there was any doubt about whether he enjoyed being on the ice with Johnny’s club on Monday, he had a question for Evason after practice.
The question: Are you having a morning skate on Tuesday?
When told that the Blue Jackets are, Guy Gaudreau said he’d be there for that as well.
“He just wants to be around,” Evason said. “It’s fantastic.”
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
