Game Preview: Blue Jackets Look To End Three-Game Losing Streak; Face Dallas Stars Monday Night

DALLAS STARS
4-1-1 (9 pts; .750%) ROSTER SCHEDULE
8:00 P.M. – MONDAY, OCTOBER 30 AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER DALLAS, TX
TELEVISION: Bally Sports Ohio ESPN+ (Out of Market)
ODDS & PROJECTIONS:
ODDS OF CBJ WIN PER MONEYPUCK: 36%
TIPICO SPORTSBOOK: CBJ +220

The first time the Columbus Blue Jackets were held scoreless this season, they responded with an impressive 3-1 win over the Calgary Flames.

How will they respond the second time around?

We find out Monday night when the Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars battle it out, two nights after the New York Islanders kept Columbus off the scoreboard for the second time this season.

Here's what to know when the puck drops from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas:

TALKING POINTS: DAL

• This will be the Stars first game since a 4-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday night. It was Dallas' first regulation loss of the season, despite coming out ahead in many key statistical categories. 
   
• Jake Oettinger is off to a sensational start this season, posting a 1.44 goals against average and .952 save percentage. Both rank third amongst goalies with four or more games this season. 
   
• Special teams have been all over the place for Dallas. They're 28th on the power play, having converted just twice in six games and having went 0-for-7 in their last three games. The penalty kill, though? Second best in the league, with just one goal allowed (in their most recent game) in 18 attempts. Oh, and they're the only team in the league to allow more short-handed goals (3) than power play goals (2). 

TALKING POINTS: CBJ

• This is a young team, a fun team, and it's going to be a rollercoaster of a season. The 5th Line saw the low point of that coaster Saturday night with the 2-0 loss at Nationwide Arena, but the Blue Jackets didn't play bad, per say. In fact, MoneyPuck had the game at a 51%-49% Islander advantage on their "Deserve To Win O'Meter", with the Blue Jackets finishing above New York on expected goals (3.29 to 2.96). There was a substantial difference between that loss and many of the losses last season, and that has to be worth something. (Just not any points in the standings). 
   
• The trio of Johnny Gaudreau, Kirill Marchenko, and Cole Sillinger have a combined 23 games played, 55 shots on goal, 102 total shot attempts, and as many goals to show for it as Elvis Merzlikins. The goals will come, for sure, but at least one of these guys have to get going soon. 
   
• The Blue Jackets defense is improving. The duo of Zach Werenski and Damon Severson are allowing 0.81 goals per 60, while the tandems of Jake Bean and Erik Gudbranson are at 1.89 and Ivan Provorov and David Jiricek 2.35.  Compare that to last year, when eight of the 11 defensive pairings that skated at least 100 minutes together had a goals/60 average above 3.00, and all but one was over the 2.35 put up by the Provorov-Jiricek combination this season, which is the worst of the three. It's progress. 

Updated: 7:05 a.m. 
Subject to Change