The Columbus Blue Jackets would fall to the Dallas Stars, 6-3. The game was the first for Patrik Laine in a Blue Jackets uniform. The game would quickly get away from Columbus and they then were chasing play for the rest of the evening.
Here are your three things:
Not Korpisalo's fault
The beginning of this game for the Blue Jackets was not the most ideal start. In short order, the game began to get away from them but it all came to a head in the second period when Joonas Korpisalo got pulled. At that point, it was a 5-1 game and it could be argued when Elvis Merzlikins entered the game for Korpisalo that the game wasn't really his fault.
— dom luszczyszyn (@domluszczyszyn) February 3, 2021
The combination of shot quality and shots against really was a big issue. The Blue Jackets seemingly gave up during the first thirty minutes and it was obvious that they were sleepwalking through the game. For a team that is lacking offense, they can't have performances like this.
Taking Stock Of Laine
After the big trade acquiring forward Patrik Laine, all eyes of the hockey world were going to be on him. Laine had no points in the game but did see 20+ minutes of ice time. He had two shots on goal and had a plus/minus -2.
It was immediately obvious that Laine is going to be a difference-maker in every game that he is going to play in. He takes away time and space for others and when he is skating down the ice, he is given a large amount of space that others aren't afforded.
Laine would also be just under 50% in Corsi For and was on for a grand total of 29 events. It was a fine performance for his first game and while he didn't fill up the stat sheet, you can see where he fits in this lineup.
Limiting Stars
Not only did the Blue Jackets give up a lot to the Stars themselves, they also got beat by Dallas' stars themselves. Joe Pavelski had four points on the evening with two goals and two assists. Both Alex Radulov and Jamie Benn had a goal and two assists.
These are prevalent superstars in this league and they are performing against a team that takes pride in their defensive work. It plainly isn't good enough and is confusing given what the team's philosophy is. While the offense isn't there, the team is nowhere near good enough to take nights off defensively as well.
