The Columbus Blue Jackets are going to look refreshed when the puck drops for their game against the Dallas Stars at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night.
After Sunday’s game, a refresh couldn’t come at a more perfect time.
Patrik Laine will make his debut and Columbus will wear his retro jerseys reversed for the first time as the Blue Jackets look to move past a horrendous 3-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center on Sunday night.
Laine, who has endorsed COVID-19 protocols, was on the ice at Nationwide for the first time Monday as a member of the Blue Jackets. While the Blue Jackets didn’t practice today, head coach John Tortorella has hinted in recent days that the Finnish phenom will be paired with Max Domi and Oliver Bjorkstrand on the first line.
Riley Nash is away tonight as he and his wife welcome a new baby.
Tuesday will also mark the debut of adidas’ retro reverse jerseys for the Blue Jackets. Although fan feedback has been mixed, the red jerseys with the original Blue Jackets logo should be a unique change of pace for the team, which has had its current logo since the 2007-08 season.
As for the game itself, the Blue Jackets will be looking to extend an eight-game winning streak against the Stars. Dallas will be aiming for its first points at Columbus since Oct. 14, 2014.
Even if Laine and company perform well, Columbus will need to be at their best defensively to keep their winning streak alive against Dallas. The Stars are off to an impressive start to the pandemic-shortened season, thanks in part to an electric power play that converted 37.9% of their chances. Dallas has 23 goals in its first six games; the Blue Jackets have just 24 in ten games overall.
Columbus Blue Jackets projected lines
| L.W. | VS | RW | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
29 |
Patrick Laine |
42 |
Alexandre Texier |
13 |
Cam Atkinson |
|
38 |
Boone Jenner |
96 |
Jack Roslovic |
28 |
Olivier Bjorkstrand |
|
25 |
Mikhail Grigorenko |
16 |
Max Domi |
71 |
Nick Foligno |
|
50 |
Eric Robinson |
9 |
Mikko Koivu |
19 |
Liam Foudy |
| LD | DR | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
8 |
Zach Werensky |
3 |
Seth Jones |
|
44 |
Vladislav Gavrikov |
58 |
David Savard |
|
15 |
Michel Del Zotto |
46 |
Dean Kukan |
| Goalie | Backup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
|
70 |
Joonas Korpisalo |
90 |
Elvis Merzlikins |
STORY LINES
- YARN ON LINE A: Although he doesn’t practice with the team, Patrik Laine is an elite offensive talent who should see big minutes right away for the Blue Jackets – especially on their struggling power play. Tortorella said he was likely to pair him with Max Domi, and despite his tendency to change lines often, it might be more beneficial for Columbus’ new sniper to play with the same line regularly. Laine, Domi and Oliver Bjorkstrand are expected to spend a lot of time on the ice together.
- KORPI’S TURN: The Blue Jackets have been rotating goaltenders game by game for ten games, and it will be Korpisalo’s turn in goal to start both games against Dallas. After Merzlikins’ third-period blunders against Chicago on Sunday, a strong showing from Joonas on Tuesday could earn him a second straight start for Game 2 on Thursday.
- 3 & 8: The Blue Jackets’ best defensive pair of Seth Jones and Zach Werenski have a combined -15 plus/min so far. They must be better. Yes, they see a lot of playing time against their opponent’s top lines – but they did last season and went on +19. Can these two pull together an entire performance, as they have so often done in recent seasons?
