Columbus Blue Jackets at Wild
Thursday, 7 p.m., Xcel Energy Center
TV; radio: BSN; 100.3 FM.
Blue Jackets update: Columbus will have a familiar face behind the bench. The Blue Jackets hired Dean Evason in July to coach after Evason was fired by the Wild last November. During parts of five seasons in charge, Evason led the Wild to a 147-77-27 record after originally joining the franchise as an assistant. Blue Jackets players will wear a special sticker on their helmets and patch on their jerseys to honor the memory of Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, who were killed on Aug. 29 when they were struck by a vehicle while riding bikes. Johnny Gaudreau played two seasons with Columbus after starting his NHL career with Calgary.
Injuries: Wild D Declan Chisholm missed Wednesday practice because of illness. Blue Jackets C Boone Jenner (upper body) and LW Dmitri Voronkov (upper body) are out.