| DAL | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| 15-6-6 | ROAD / HOME | 11-8-4 |
| 3.32 | GOALS FOR | 2.94 |
| 2.76 | GOALS AGAINST | 3.33 |
| 29.2% | POWER PLAY | 19.5% |
| 79.6% | PENALTY KILL | 75.4% |
| 25.4 | SHOTS FOR | 30.4 |
| 27.6 | SHOTS AGAINST | 30.8 |
| 51.9% | FACEOFF % | 50.7% |
| DALLAS: LAST THREE GAMES | ||
| THU, 1/15 | @ Mammoth | L, 2-1 |
| SUN, 1/18 | vs. Lightning | L, 4-1 |
| TUE, 1/20 | vs. Bruins | W, 6-2 |
| DALLAS: TEAM LEADERS | ||
| GOALS | Jason Robertson | 29 |
| ASSISTS | Mikko Rantanen | 44 |
| POINTS | Mikko Rantanen | 63 |
| ODDS & PROJECTIONS | ||
| CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: | 49% | |
| CBJ ODDS PER DRAFTKINGS: | -105 | |
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue a five-game homestand Thursday night with a battle against one of the best teams in hockey, the Dallas Stars.
Columbus' four-game win streak, which tied a season high, came to an end Tuesday night in a head-scratcher against the Ottawa Senators. For the first under new bench boss Rick Bowness, the Blue Jackets had no sense of urgency in the 4-1 loss.
They'll look to shift that vibe Thursday.
Here are five things to know before the 7:00 p.m. puck-drop:
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After three straight regulation losses, the Stars got back to their winning ways with a 6-2 victory Tuesday over the Boston Bruins. Jason Robertson, who leads Dallas with 29 goals this season, scored twice in the win. ... Dallas is within one point of owning the second-best record in the league, with 66 points in their first 50 games. ... Casey DeSmith gets the net for this game. He is the "back-up" to Jake Oettinger, but has been solid this season: a 10-3-5 record, 2.46 goals against average, and .911 save percentage. ... The Stars own a 29.6% conversion rate on the power play, second-best in the league behind only the Edmonton Oilers. It's imperative that Columbus play smart.
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Jet Greaves gets the net for Columbus. He took over after the first period in Tuesday's game when Elvis Merzlikins went down with an illness. Greaves made 12 of 13 saves in relief and has allowed three goals or less in 16 of his last 17 outings. For the season: 2.70 goals against average, .908 save percentage.
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Mason Marchment is back in the lineup after missing the last eight games with an upper-body injury. He slots in right where he was when he left: the top-line wing, opposite of Kirill Marchenko and centered by Adam Fantilli. Marchment had five goals and two assists in his seven games with the Blue Jackets prior to the injury.
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Stick taps for Charlie Coyle, who will play in his 1000th NHL game in this one. Coyle has the chance to make it a particularly memorable one: his next goal will be the 200th of his career. The 33-year-old veteran has been a boost to the Columbus lineup all season, with 10 goals and 20 assists (30 points) through his first 49 games. He's also one of just four Blue Jackets to play in every game so far this season. The others are Adam Fantilli, Dmitri Voronkov, and Ivan Provorov.
- In addition to Marchment coming back, Isac Lundesröm is also in the lineup for the first time in a month after a lower-body injury sidelined him. Here are the complete lineup projections:
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | Mason Marchment | 19 | Adam Fantilli | 86 | Kirill Marchenko |
| 38 | Boone Jenner | 23 | Sean Monahan | 91 | Kent Johnson |
| 4 | Cole Sillinger | 3 | Charlie Coyle | 24 | Mathieu Olivier |
| 10 | Dmitri Voronkov | 21 | Isac Lundesröm | 43 | Danton Heinen |
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 78 | Damon Severson |
| 9 | Ivan Provorov | 44 | Erik Gudbranson |
| 2 | Jake Christiansen | 6 | Egor Zamula |
| Starting Goalie | Back-Up | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 73 | Jet Greaves | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
