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DALLAS STARS TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18TH 8:00 P.M. AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER DALLAS, TX |
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If last Thursday was the worst game the Columbus Blue Jackets have played this season, Saturday's game might have been the best.
Two nights after a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in which head coach Dean Evason called the team's compete effort "soft", the Blue Jackets played drastically better in their 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
"It wasn’t hard to get their attention because they knew that they didn’t play the right way in that Colorado game," said head coach Dean Evason after the victory.
Which Blue Jackets team will show up for Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars: the ones who didn't play the right way, or the ones who knew they didn't play the right way?
Here's what to know when the Blue Jackets face the Stars in Texas:
| CBJ | SEASON STATS | DAL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-1-0 | ROAD / HOME | 1-1-0 | ||
| t-21st | 2.80 | GOALS FOR | 3.60 | 6th |
| t-14th | 3.00 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.60 | t-6th |
| Last | 7.7% | POWER PLAY | 33.3% | 2nd |
| Last | 55.6% | PENALTY KILL | 72.2% | t-25th |
| 5th | 31.6 | SHOTS FOR | 26.8 | t-20th |
| 31st | 34.4 | SHOTS AGAINST | 30.6 | 25th |
| t-4th | 54.8% | FACE-OFFS | 53.3% | 8th |
| DALLAS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||||
| TUE, 10/14 | vs. Wild | W, 5-2 | ||
| THU, 10/16 | vs. Canucks | L, 5-3 | ||
| SAT, 10/18 | @ Blues | L, 3-1 | ||
| DALLAS: TEAM LEADERS | ||||
| GOALS | Wyatt Johnston | 4 | ||
| ASSISTS |
Thomas Harley Roope Hintz |
5 | ||
| POINTS | Mikko Rantanen | 7 | ||
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 32% | |||
| CBJ ODDS PER BETMGM: | +155 | |||
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The STARS are off to a 3-2-0 start this season but don't let that fool you: first-year head coach Glen Gulutzan's group is a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and one of the toughest teams to play against when they're at home. Jake Oettinger, who has won three of his four starts this season, will get the nod in net. He's posted a 2.95 goals against and .905 save percentage so far.
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Staying OUT OF THE BOX is imperative. Not only are the Blue Jackets last in the league with a 55.6% penalty kill, the Stars rank second and have converted on one-third of their chances through their first give games.
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The GOALIE ROTATION will continue in this game, so Elvis Merzlikins gets the start for Columbus. He's posted a .920 save percentage in his first two starts, including a 48-save performance in his first game of the season.
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How does SEAN MONAHAN not have a point yet this season? The Blue Jackets top center has played primarily with Dmitri Voronkov (five points) and Kirill Marchenko (six points), but is yet to find the back of the net or pick up an assist despite averaging over 19 minutes of ice time per game. Look for Monahan to get going soon and there's no night better than Tuesday to do so.
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The team practiced at Nationwide Arena on Monday before heading to Dallas with no changes to the lineup from Saturday's win. Miles Wood and Erik Gudbranson remain out of the lineup with upper-body injuries, though Gudbranson did practice Monday. Here are the complete LINEUP PROJECTIONS:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 23 | Sean Monahan | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 3 | Charlie Coyle | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 27 | Zach Aston-Reese | 21 | Isac Lundestrom | 59 | Yegor Chinakhov |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 5 | Denton Mateychuk |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 15 | Dante Fabbro |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Jet Greaves | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
