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| DALLAS STARS |
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15-14-12 (42 points) ROSTER / SCHEDULE |
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8:30 P.M. – THURSDAY, APRIL 15 AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER DALLAS, TX |
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BALLY SPORTS OHIO FOX SPORTS |
The Columbus Blue Jackets looked solid Monday, despite the overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.
For a team that had traded away several key players and were down several more due to injuries, getting a point was really more than should have been expected.
Enter Patrik Laine.
His insane game-tying goal in the third period Monday served as a reminder to how deadly he can anywhere on the ice with the puck. Columbus may have lost the battle, but was Laine's great night enough to consider it winning the war?
An answer could come as soon as Thursday, when the Blue Jackets will look to take the reclaimed Laine (and his goals) to the south for a pair of games against the Dallas Stars.
The Stars, who are coming off back-to-back 3-2 overtime losses, are a desperate team right now. They sit seven points behind the equatorially-hot Nashville Predators for the final playoff spot in the division, but do have three games in hand over the Preds. Make no mistake about it: the Dallas Stars are coming into this series with four points on their mind.
Here's a look at tonight's projected (and subject to change) lines for Columbus:
Columbus Blue Jackets Projected Lines
| LW | C | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Oliver Bjorkstrand | 16 | Max Domi | 29 | Patrik Laine |
| 25 | Mikhail Grigorenko | 96 | Jack Roslovic | 13 | Cam Atkinson |
| 50 | Eric Robinsin | 42 | Alexandre Texier | 26 | Zac Dalpe |
| 23 | Stefan Matteau | 79 | Josh Dunne | 19 | Kole Sherwood |
*lines are subject to change
| LD | RD | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Michael Del Zotto | 3 | Seth Jones |
| 44 | Vladislav Gavrikov | 4 | Scott Harrington |
| 46 | Dean Kukan | 2 | Andrew Peeke |
| Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 | Elvis Merzlikins | 70 | Joonas Korpisalo |
Storylines
- DUN-DUN-DUN DUNNE: A debut that few people saw coming prior to the deadline, recent Clarkson University graduate Josh Dunne will make his NHL debut just a month after signing a two-way, entry-level contract with the Blue Jackets. Dunne, a center, will slot in flanked by Stefan Matteau and Kole Sherwood on the 4th line. "I'm a big body," said Dunne during Wednesday's media availability. "I just want to use my body everywhere ... be a thorn in their side the whole game, be hard to play against, and get to the net." Dunne scored 29 goals and added 26 assists in 78 career games at Clarkson, but prides himself on being a defensive-minded forward. Let's see what the 22-year-old has in him.
- TEXIER'S SHOT: For just the 4th time this season, Alexandre Texier saw over 20 minutes of ice in Monday's game. In fact, his 23:15 of game play was - by several minutes - the most he's been on the ice for not only the season, but the most for any regular season game in his career. After a hot start, Texier struggled for a large part of the season, but has recently started to find his game again. Now, the 21-year-old just needs to bust his goal-scoring slump. Ice time is good to develop Texier, and he's a player to watch as the Blue Jackets lame duck season wraps up in the coming weeks.
- LAINE'S RESURGENCE: In the 14 consecutive games Laine was held without a goal, he was on the ice for over four hours (4 hours, 5 minutes, and 46 seconds. But in the two games against Chicago from Nationwide Arena, Laine scored three times, and did so on only four shots. When Laine is on, the Blue Jackets are a team that, despite its struggles this season, can hang with any team in the league. Is he back? Fingers crossed.
