The Blue Jackets get another crack at the Stars tonight, and this one comes with a little extra edge after Saturday’s 3-1 loss in Dallas.
That first meeting was a frustrating one for Columbus. The Jackets played one of their better games of the season, but the bounces went Dallas’ way and the result never followed the performance. Five days later, they’re back at Nationwide Arena for the second and final matchup of the season, hoping to turn a strong effort into two points.
The timing is interesting, too. Columbus is coming off its biggest win of the year, a 7-2 rout of the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.
That game opened up fast and turned into a track meet, but this one should look a lot different. Dallas and Colorado may both be elite teams, but they don’t play the same brand of hockey, and tonight figures to be far more of a grind.
For the Blue Jackets, the first priority is simple: keep the game clean.
Offense probably won’t come easy, so Columbus has to stay locked into its structure for the full 60 minutes. The Stars are built to punish lapses, and that’s exactly what happened last Saturday. A half second late on the back-check led to the first goal, and sloppy, sluggish coverage helped set up the second late in the period.
Dallas is happy to slow things down, wait for mistakes, and then strike quickly with its skill. Columbus needs to do the same thing in its own way. If the Jackets try to turn this into an open, back-and-forth game, they’re likely to get burned.
The other side of that coin is capitalizing when the Stars slip.
Dallas wants to play disciplined, defense-first hockey, but no team goes through a night without a mistake or two. Columbus couldn’t quite make those moments count on Saturday, even though the chances were there. Jake Oettinger had a lot to do with that, but the Jackets also needed to be a little quicker and maybe a little more selfish around the net.
That’s where the next step comes in. Someone has to finish a big chance tonight. Columbus doesn’t need a flurry; it needs one goal that changes the feel of the game.
And after Tuesday’s outburst, the Jackets need to hold onto that confidence.
The seven-goal night against Colorado should help, even if the scoring came easier than it probably will tonight. The key is to keep the same habits, stay patient, and not let early frustration creep in if the puck doesn’t bounce their way right away.
Meanwhile, Cam Talbot looks to be in line to get his second consecutive start in goal, and both were hitting waivers yesterday afternoon.
In Other News...
Blue Jackets Are Finally Showing A More Encouraging Trend
A homestand that started with a jolt of momentum ended with Columbus taking a step in the right direction, as the Blue Jackets outlasted the Stars in a shootout after a 1-1 tie through regulation and overtime. The result pushed the club back to .500 and gave it four points over the two-game stretch against Colorado and Dallas, a small but meaningful sign that the group is finding a steadier rhythm.
Zach Werenski helped set the tone by getting on the board for the first time this season, and Cam Talbot gave Columbus the kind of goaltending it has needed with a string of timely stops. The game still had to be settled beyond overtime, and the Jackets were able to leave the homestand with a better feeling than they entered it, even if the final margin came only after plenty of tense moments. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Knies Looks Dangerous But Blue Jackets Still Have One Problem
Matthew Knies arrived with some early buzz for Columbus, and the first impression was promising enough to make the fit look immediate. He put up four points in his first two games, flashed the kind of puck control and power-forward presence that can tilt shifts, and the underlying possession numbers have stayed encouraging even as the overall scoring pace has cooled.
The problem is that the production has not matched the territorial edge. Knies has only one assist in his last 11 games, and the gap between how dangerous he looks and how often he actually finishes plays has become hard to ignore. The Jackets like what they are seeing in his game, but the next step is clear: he has to get more pucks to the net if the offense is going to catch up with the rest of his play. [Read more 🡒]