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COLUMBUS -- The Columbus Blue Jackets are the most inspiring story in the NHL.

Maybe in all of sports.

Is there another team overcoming anything like Columbus is this season?

First and foremost, the Blue Jackets have had to deal with the death of forward Johnny Gaudreau.

Then, they've had a rash of injuries to key players. Still, they have won four straight games and are 8-2-1 in their past 11. They hold the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

“I think the thing I’m most proud of is just how hard we work every night and how we do it for each other,” defenseman Zach Werenski said. “It’s been awesome.”

Columbus (20-17-6) hosts the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, NBCSP+). The Flyers are one of seven teams within five points of the Blue Jackets in a tight playoff race.

Among the others are the Detroit Red Wings, their opponent in the 2025 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium on March 1 (6 p.m. ET; ESPN, TVAS-D, SN360).

“It’s going to be a fun night, an exciting night,” general manager Don Waddell said. “But the game means something.”

Waddell knew he was taking on a challenge when he was hired May 28. Columbus had missed the playoffs the past four seasons and finished last in the East last season (27-43-12). His goal was to play meaningful games in March for the development of the young players.

He had no idea what was to come. Nor did coach Dean Evason, who was hired July 23.

No one did.

“I think coming into the year before John’s passing, I think it was refreshing to have new management, new coaches,” Werenski said. “I think there was a lot of excitement just within our room, just to kind of have a new feel. We all kind of knew what we could be. It was just doing it. And then obviously with the circumstances and what happened, you’re never really too sure how a team or a group is going to respond.”

The big offseason moves were the signing of center Sean Monahan as an unrestricted free agent July 1 and the trading of forward Patrik Laine to the Montreal Canadiens on Aug. 19. Monahan came to Columbus thinking he was going to play with Gaudreau, his close friend and former Calgary Flames teammate. The Blue Jackets parted with Laine only to lose their leading scorer 10 days later.

Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, died Aug. 29 when they were struck by a car while riding bicycles at home in Salem County, New Jersey. Devastated, the team gathered for a candlelight vigil in Columbus on Sept. 4 and the funeral in Media, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 9. Training camp opened Sept. 18.

Blue Jackets honor Gaudreau brothers in pregame ceremony

The Blue Jackets kept Gaudreau’s image on the side of Nationwide Arena and his stall in the locker room. They put stickers on their helmets, patches on their jerseys and a No. 13 banner in the rafters.

When they took the ice for their home opener against the Florida Panthers on Oct. 15, they left an empty space on the left wing. Monahan won the opening face-off, and the teams stood still for 13 seconds with the puck at Gaudreau’s spot. Monahan scored and pointed at his banner amid a 4-3 loss, a moment Waddell said will stick with him forever.

“We had lots of meetings with the leaders of this team and then with the team itself about, ‘Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us, so don’t feel sorry for yourselves,’” Waddell said. “We’ve got to take the words that [Gaudreau’s widow] Meredith used at the funeral: ‘Johnny would want you guys to go play hockey. I want you to go play hockey. Go play hockey.’ And we kept echoing those things over and over. ‘This is what the Gaudreaus would want us to do.’”

Waddell said he has spent more time around the locker room this season than he ever has before, and the Blue Jackets have held more team-bonding events than usual, such as golf and curling.

“I like to come down every day and see the guys to see what the mood is,” he said. “Dean and I talk all the time. Dean and his staff have done a tremendous job of keeping the guys focused on what they need to do. …

“Everything we’ve done has been about the team, not about ‘I.’ It’s about the team, and I think it’s helped us along here for sure. Every day when I wake up, it’s a new challenge. You never know what’s going to be thrown to you.”

Like injuries.

Captain Boone Jenner hasn’t played this season. Defenseman Erik Gudbranson hasn’t played since the home opener. Forward Dmitri Voronkov missed the first nine games. Forward Kent Johnson was out for a 14-game stretch. Forward Yegor Chinakhov has missed the past 22 games, Monahan the past two.

The Blue Jackets started 12-15-5. Less than a month ago, they were five points out of a playoff spot, last in the Metropolitan Division and 14th in the East.

Yet here they are now.

Columbus is scoring 3.40 goals per game overall, fifth in the NHL entering Monday, and 4.18 at home, first in the League -- remarkable, considering Waddell’s main worry was offense.

Werenski leads the Blue Jackets with 49 points (13 goals, 35 assists) in 43 games and is one point behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for the lead among NHL defensemen. He should be a candidate for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the League’s best defenseman.

Voronkov, Monahan and Kirill Marchenko made up an excellent top line before Monahan got hurt. Voronkov has 30 points (17 goals, 13 assists) in 34 games. Amid the emotion of losing Gaudreau, Monahan has 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 41 games. Marchenko has 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 43 games.

WSH@CBJ: Werenski blasts in PPG to tally 100th NHL goal

Kent Johnson has 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 29 games, forward Cole Sillinger 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 41 games. Adam Fantilli, now centering the top line, has 21 points (10 goals, 11 assists) in 43 games.

Marchenko (24), Voronkov (24), Johnson (22), Sillinger (21) and Fantilli (20) each is 24 or younger.

“We’ve got good players,” Sillinger said. “I don’t think anyone really knows how good we are. I think it’s starting to click in with some other teams now that we’re in a playoff spot and we’re holding our ground. We’re gaining respect.

“Yeah, I just think we believe in each other. We believe in ourselves. We know we’re good hockey players. If we play the right way, we can beat any team on any given night. That’s what it is for me, and I think it’s just having that mentality of believing and knowing that you can win every game.”

Although Evason emphasizes defense, he plays an up-tempo, aggressive style. Werenski is free to jump up in the play. Young players are unafraid to make mistakes. Meanwhile, under Waddell, the Blue Jackets have added depth pieces like defensemen Jack Johnson and Dante Fabbro and forwards Zach Aston-Reese (who signed a contract for next season Monday), Kevin Labanc and James van Riemsdyk via free-agent signings and waiver claims.

“What Dean doesn’t worry about is the guys he doesn’t have,” Waddell said. “We meet every day, and he’s never come in and said, ‘Oh, can we go get this guy? Can we go get that guy?’ He says, ‘Give me the guys that I need to coach, and I’m going to get the best out of them.’ And certainly he’s done that, for sure.”

Should Evason be a candidate for the Jack Adams Award, which goes to the NHL coach of the year, if the Blue Jackets make the playoffs? Should he be one even if they don’t?

“I think Dean’s going to have to be in the mix regardless of what happens here because of the adversity that we’ve faced,” Waddell said. “I don’t think anybody would have thought after 43 games that we’d be still in the hunt. Whether we stay there or not is going to be decided in the next 39 games, but to be where we are at this point, I think, has been a pretty big surprise around the whole League.”

Imagine if the Blue Jackets are still in the hunt March 1 when tens of thousands of fans pack Ohio Stadium for Columbus’ first outdoor game.

“It’s really shaping up to be a special weekend,” Werenski said. “That was kind of our goal going into it, especially when [Jenner] and [Gudbranson] went down. ‘Let’s just stay in it until the Stadium Series. Let’s just be around and be in a position to kind of strike.’ And we’re doing that right now, so it’s exciting for sure.”