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| DALLAS STARS |
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8–9–5 (21 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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5:00 P.M. – SATURDAY, MAR. 13 NATIONWIDE ARENA COLUMBUS, OH |
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FOX SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS |
The Stars are coming to Columbus and they pose a formidable threat for the home team.
As Columbus looks to steady the ship and put together some wins. The Stars are hoping to do the exact same. Both have been fairly rudderless and moving along below expectations.
The Blue Jackets are going to need to bounce back after their disastrous loss against the Florida Panthers where they gave up four goals on their way to a 5-4 overtime loss.
Frankly, they have tried anything and everything, it still isn't enough. A new headline seemingly comes out of every game and most of those headlines are not positive.
Against the Stars, the hope will be to neutralize Benn and Pavelski who have started strong and recently tapered off. While their record isn't anything to write home about, in moments this season against the Blue Jackets, they look like the team that made the Stanley Cup final. Limiting their high danger chances where they make teams pay will be a tall task but a necessity if they want to win.
Here's a look at tonight's projected (and subject to change) lines for Columbus:
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lines
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 71 | Nick Foligno | 38 | Boone Jenner | 13 | Cam Atkinson |
| 29 | Patrik Laine | 20 | Riley Nash | 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand |
| 16 | Max Domi | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 52 | Emil Bemstrom |
| 50 | Eric Robinson | 42 | Alexandre Texier | 11 | Kevin Stenlund |
*lines are subject to change
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Zach Werenski | 3 | Seth Jones |
| 53 | Gabriel Carlsson | 58 | David Savard |
| 44 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 15 | Michael Del Zotto |
| Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 | Joonas Korpisalo | 90 | Elvis Merzlikins |
Storylines
- WHO IS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK?: Patrik Laine didn't see much ice time on Thursday during the third period despite a goal and an assist. The team continues to search for any sort of consistency. The recent Finnish forward's benching begs the question. Who is next to not see the ice? Is there going to be another player that gets the brunt of John Tortorella's wrath?
- DEFENSIVE SHAKEUP: Columbus has brought on Mikko Lehtonen to supplement their defense in hopes that they can be a bit more flexible moving forward. Lehtonen was acquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs for goaltender Veini Vehvilainen. This gives the team nine defensemen with the big club and it will be interesting if different deployments arise or if trades end up coming quickly.
- REBOUND OR ?: The Columbus Blue Jackets really have no place to go but up. They are stacking up losses feverishly. With it, they are beginning to see the chances of the playoffs go down the drain. They need to start stringing together wins if they want to maintain. The lack of vision and clarity of what the team is trying to do is making the season all the more head-scratching.
