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| DALLAS STARS |
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5-1-1 (11 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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7:00 P.M. – THURSDAY, FEB. 4 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS GO |
Two nights after the spoiled debut of Patrik Laine, the Columbus Blue Jackets have their sights set on a series split Thursday night at Nationwide Arena in a rematch against the Dallas Stars.
Blame the reverse retro jerseys if you must, but Columbus was simply outworked and overmatched in their 6-3 loss to the Stars Tuesday night. Dallas scored four goals in the second period, chasing goaltender Joonas Korpisalo for the first time this season.
Laine, who did not practice with the team prior to being inserted into the lineup, had two shots on goal in his first game as a Blue Jacket. Despite the lack of team practice, the 22-year-old led all forwards in ice time at 20:54.
Head coach John Tortorella plans to keep Laine on a line with Alexandre Texier, but will move Texier from center to wing, inserting Max Domi to center them on the top line.
Riley Nash, who missed Tuesday's game to welcome the birth of his new son, is expected back in the lineup. At Wednesday's practice, Nash was on a line with forwards Mikhail Grigorenko and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Liam Foudy, who has struggled at times this season, has been moved to the taxi squad.
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lines
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 | Patrik Laine | 16 | Max Domi | 42 | Alexandre Texier |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 9 | Mikko Koivu | 71 | Nick Foligno |
| 25 | Mikhail Grigorenko | 20 | Riley Nash | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 13 | Cam Atkinson |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 3 | Seth Jones |
| 44 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 58 | David Savard |
| 15 | Michael Del Zotto | 46 | Dean Kukan |
| Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
STORYLINES
- CHEMISTRY: The Blue Jackets battled Dallas on Tuesday night with their best offensive weapon having never practiced with the team. After a full game and a full practice, look for Patrik Laine to feel more comfortable with his new teammates. He'll be centered by Max Domi, who brings more experience to center than Alexandre Texier did on Tuesday. Texier will play opposite of Laine on the top line, returning to the wing position that has been his primary position so far this season.
- C'MON, CAM: The season opener ended a streak of six consecutive seasons in which Cam Atkinson scored a goal in game #1. That streak came to an end last month, and through 11 games this season, Atkinson has just one goal on the season -- and just one point in his last four games. He's been bumped down in the lineup for Thursday, and is expected to skate on a speedy 4th line alongside Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic. One of the guys who is being counted on to put the puck in the net, Atkinson needs to find a way to stop the slump.
- CAN'T GO COLD: The 2020-21 season is no time to go cold, but the Blue Jackets will need to find a way to win if they want to avoid their first three game losing streak of the season. With two against the red-hot Carolina Hurricanes looming, Columbus needs to bring their best game to Nationwide tonight and pick up two points.
