Sean Higgins, the driver suspected of fatally striking brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, appeared Tuesday in a New Jersey courtroom.

Sean Higgins will stand trial in the death of Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau after turning down a plea deal in his drunken-driving case.

Johnny Gaudreau's jersey number will be retired by his junior hockey team at a ceremony this weekend honoring him and his late brother, Matthew.

The Blue Jackets should buy at the NHL trade deadline and Mikael Granlund should be their top target to improve their forward core.

On Dec. 18, the Blue Jackets ranked 26th in the NHL standings and trailed a wild-card spot by five points. After dropping eight of their last nine games, the playoffs seemed increasingly out of reach. They have gone 9-3 ever since.

Sean Higgins turned down an offer of 35 years in prison and pleaded not guilty in the deaths of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau on Tuesday.

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.

Despite losing Laine and Gaudreau as top scorers, the fast-rising Blue Jackets have impressed GM Don Waddell with a offensive firepower.

Late NHLer Johnny Gaudreau’s wife, Meredith, accompanied Odette Peters on her trip to New York City, where they went wedding dress shopping for Peters.

The Florida Panthers needed a little spark coming into Saturday after winning four of their past 10 games. One would have thought it would be on the offensive side of the ice to do it, but no, it was their goalie.

NEW YORK — Vincent Trocheck scored the only goal of the shootout, Igor Shesterkin stopped 27 shots and New York Rangers beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 on Saturday night. Shesterkin got his second shutout of the season and 17th of his career as the Rangers won their second straight. New York improved to 6-1-2 in January.