Columbus Blue Jackets winger Yegor Chinakhov is back to full health and set to be activated off of long-term injured reserve, head coach Dean Evason confirmed to NHL.com’s Jeff Svoboda. Chinakhov has missed Columbus’ last 39 games with a back injury.

COLUMBUS -- Dean Evason choked up. The Columbus Blue Jackets had defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-3 in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, and they’d done it in front of 94,751, the second-largest crowd in NHL history. But that wasn’t the most important thing.

Yegor Chinakhov may rejoin Blue Jackets' second line Tuesday after missing 39 games with a frustrating back injury.

Shortly after taking the job last summer as the Blue Jackets’ head coach, Dean Evason paid a visit to his new team’s top scorer. That’s when he met Johnny Gaudreau in South Jersey for the first and only time.

COLUMBUS -- The Detroit Red Wings honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau when they arrived at Ohio Stadium on Saturday, stepping off the bus wearing jerseys the Gaudreau brothers wore during their hockey careers.

The Blue Jackets soaked in the scene with coaches, teammates, friends and family ahead of Saturday's matchup against the Red Wings.

From the gameday spectacle to the 94,000-plus in Ohio Stadium, the event was a celebration of the team and the city

The Detroit Red Wings took control of the puck early, but a late goal from Columbus lifted the Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win on Saturday in the Stadium Series, leapfrogging the Red Wings to take sole possession of the first Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

With a game-time temperature of 29.4 degrees and gusts up to 18 mph, Columbus took time to warm up before scoring three second-period goals.