Columbus Blue Jackets

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Kirill Marchenko suffered a broken jaw after he was struck by an errant puck while sitting on the bench, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.

The incident occurred in the second period of the Blue Jackets' 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Sunday.

Per Portzline, Marchenko was immediately taken to a hospital in Dallas to have his jaw reset during the third period. While his exactly recovery timeline is unknown, the typical timetable for a broken jaw is six to eight weeks.

Marchenko finished with two shots on goal and one assist in just over 11 minutes on the ice before suffering the injury.

The 24-year-old was off to a strong start in Columbus, recording a team-high 21 goals in 53 games played. Marchenko also ranked No. 2 on the Blue Jackets with 34 assists and 55 points, respectively.

He was selected by Columbus with a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry draft, amassing 25 points in 59 games as a rookie during the 2022-23 season. Marchenko took a step forward in his second year, recording 42 points in 78 appearances.

To begin his 2024-25 campaign, he was operating as a key piece in the No. 1 line of a Columbus team searching for its first playoff appearance since the 2019-20 season.

The Blue Jackets currently sit at 26-20-7, holding a narrow lead for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with 59 points.

Columbus has been hit hard by injuries this season, as center Sean Monahan is expected to be out until March due to a wrist issue that occurred on Jan. 7. Meanwhile, forward Boone Jenner has yet to make his 2024-25 debut after undergoing shoulder surgery in Oct. 2024.

The Blue Jackets will attempt to maintain their playoff positioning without Marchenko starting with a matchup against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.

Madeline Gaudreau, the widow of Matthew Gaudreau, gave birth to their son, she announced on Instagram on Sunday.

The birth of their son, Tripp, comes four months after Matthew Gaudreau and his brother, Johnny, of the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets, were tragically killed after a vehicle hit them while they were riding their bikes in Oldmans Township, New Jersey, in August.

In December, the driver of the vehicle was charged by a grand jury with two counts of reckless vehicular homicide, two counts of aggravated manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, per CNN's Jacob Lev.

Matthew was 29 and Johnny was 31.

"The National Hockey League family is shocked and saddened by the tragic passing of Columbus Blue Jackets forward Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement in August. "While Johnny's infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname 'Johnny Hockey,' he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path."

Matthew played professional hockey in the ECHL, spending four years with the Worcester Railers and one season with the Reading Royals. Johnny played 11 seasons in the NHL for the Calgary Flames and the Blue Jackets. He scored 743 points across his career, collecting a career-high 115 during the 2021-22 season.

The Columbus Blue Jackets and Florida Panthers honored Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau before Columbus' home opener on Tuesday night.

Prior to dropping the puck, the Blue Jackets shared a video celebrating Johnny's life on and off the ice:

Friends and family members of the Gaudreaus were on hand for the game and watched a banner with his No. 13 jersey raised toward the rafters of Nationwide Arena.

The tributes continued as the game got underway:

The Jackets previously announced they'll wear a commemorative helmet decal with the Gaudreaus' jersey numbers throughout the 2024-25 NHL season. They and the Panthers had Johnny's name and number on their pregame warmups.

The Blue Jackets also have a memorial to the brothers set up inside their home arena:

Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was teammates with Johnny for six seasons on the Calgary Flames. An illness kept Tkachuk out of the lineup on Tuesday, but he found a special way to pay homage to Gaudreau.

Panthers rinkside reporter Katie Engleson reported he arranged for Panthers players to arrive with purple Gatorade and a pack of Skittles since both were staples for Gaudreau.

"Unfortunately, I won't be there tonight in Columbus," Tkachuk said in a statement shared by the Panthers. "Johnny was a huge part of the hockey community but to me he was much more than that. A great friend, teammate, and family man. Not a day goes by without me thinking about Johnny and Matthew.

"The biggest thing I'm going to miss about tonight is not being able to see Meredith, Noa, little Johnny, Guy and Jane. Would love to give them all big hugs! Johnny will be my teammate forever."

Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver while cycling in New Jersey in August.

Johnny spent 11 years in the NHL, his first nine with the Flames and his last two in Columbus. Matthew skated for Boston College, following in his older brother's footsteps, and eventually returned to his high school alma mater, Gloucester Catholic, as its coach.

Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins will honor his late teammate Johnny Gaudreau with his mask design for the 2024-25 season.

The chin covering of Merzlikins' mask features Gaudreau's No. 13 beside a plate of pasta. Gaudreau ate buttered pasta as part of his pregame ritual.

Gaudreau, 31, was killed alongside his 29-year-old brother Matthew Gaudreau when the two were struck by a car while riding bicycles in August.

Merzlikins and Gaudreau played two seasons together in Columbus after the former Calgary Flames forward joined the Blue Jackets ahead of the 2022-23 season.

The Blue Jackets goaltender used a previous helmet design to honor another late teammate, goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, who died at age 24 following a fireworks accident in 2021. Merzlikins' mask for the 2021-22 season subsequently featured Kivlenieks' No. 80 surrounded by angel wings.

Merzlikins will be joined by the entire NHL in honoring Gaudreau for the first two weeks of the 2024-25 season. The NHL announced on Monday that all 32 teams would honor the Gaudreau brothers by wearing helmet decals with their jersey numbers and the letter "G" through Oct. 24.

The decals, which feature No. 13 for Johnny Gaudreau and No. 21 for Matthew Gaudreau, will debut on Friday during a game between the New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres in Prague.

The Columbus Blue Jackets will honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau throughout the 2024-25 NHL season.

As part of the preliminary plans to honor the brothers who died on Aug. 29, Blue Jackets players will wear a special decal on their helmets that includes "Gaudreau" and two doves between the numbers 13 and 21.

In lieu of their traditional opening-night activities, the Blue Jackets will celebrate the memory of the Gaudreau brothers when they host the Florida Panthers at Nationwide Arena on Oct. 15. Fans in attendance will receive a No. 13 patch like the one players will wear on their jerseys.

Johnny Gaudreau wore No. 13 for most of his NHL career. Matthew Gaudreau wore No. 21 during his college career at Boston College.

The brothers died when a suspected drunk driver struck them while they were riding their bikes during the night of Aug. 29. New Jersey State police said the driver was traveling in the same direction as them in an SUV when he attempted to pass two other vehicles and struck them from behind at around 8 p.m. local time.

Johnny, 31, and Matthew, 29, were pronounced dead at the scene. A prosecutor said on Sept. 13 that the driver of the vehicle had a blood-alcohol level of .087 at the time of the incident, above the New Jersey legal limit of .08.

The driver has been charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

Johnny Gaudreau played 11 seasons in the NHL. He was a fourth-round draft pick by the Calgary Flames in 2011 and made his debut with the team in April 2014.

After nine seasons with the Flames, Johnny signed with the Blue Jackets as a free agent in July 2022. He appeared in 161 games with Columbus over the past two seasons.

Matthew spent the majority of his professional career with the Worcester Railers in the ECHL. He played four seasons at Boston College from 2013-14 to 2016-17.

The Blue Jackets will open the regular season on Oct. 10 against the Minnesota Wild. Their traditional opening-night festivities will be held on Oct. 17 against the Colorado Avalanche.

A prosecutor announced that the driver charged with killing NHL star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, while they were bicycling in New Jersey had a blood-alcohol level of .087 percent, above the state's legal limit of .08 percent, per the Associated Press.

The 31-year-old Johnny and 29-year-old Matthew died after being struck by a vehicle in Carney's Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the night before they were supposed to serve as groomsmen in the wedding of their sister Katie.

The driver was identified as 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of Woodstown, New Jersey, and has been charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle.

During Friday's virtual court hearing, Higgins' defense lawyers argued that he was a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash, but a judge still ordered that he be held for trial. He is facing a sentence of 20 years in prison, which the judge said makes him a flight risk.

According to the criminal complaint, Higgins failed a field sobriety test, told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving. Prosecutors said Higgins also had a history of road rage and aggressive driving, and it's alleged his frustration prompted him to speed up to pass two drivers on the right when he ended up striking the Gaudreau brothers.

"He indicated he didn't even see them," said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who added that Higgins' admitted "impatience" resulted in two deaths.

Johnny Gaudreau played 10 full seasons in the NHL and was set to enter his third year with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matthew Gaudreau was also a professional hockey player in the ECHL.

Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau are both expecting and delivered eulogies at a double funeral for the two brothers on Monday.

Meredith Gaudreau, the widow of late Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau, announced that she is pregnant with the couple's third child.

Gaudreau revealed the news during a memorial service honoring her late husband and his brother, Matthew Gaudreau, who were killed when a vehicle hit them while they were riding bicycles around 8:30 p.m. local time in Oldmans Township, New Jersey on Aug. 29. Per police to ABC 6 in Philadelphia, the vehicle driver "is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash."

Johnny and Meredith Gaudreau married three years ago. Per Emily Shapiro of ABC News, the couple welcomed their daughter, Noa Harper Gaudrea, on Sept. 30, 2022. Their son, Johnny Edward Gaudreau, was born Feb. 22, 2024.

"John and I had the best six months as a family of four. These will forever be the best six months of my life," Meredith said Monday, per Fox 29 Philadelphia. "There is specifically one week that I will cherish forever. It will be my favorite week of my life out of those six months. We are actually a family of 5...

"I'm in my ninth week of pregnancy with our third baby. A total surprise, but again, John was beaming and so excited."

Matthew Gaudreau, who played college hockey with Johnny at Boston College and also coached hockey at his alma mater, Gloucester Catholic High School, was also expecting a son with his wife, Madeline, in December. A GoFundMe has been set up to support Madeline and their son, who will be named Tripp.