PREVIEW: Blue Jackets look to rebound against Stars

Rick Bowness isn’t a particularly complicated coach.

He wants his team to play hard, play fast and start on time. And the last two games, he hasn’t been pleased with the third component of that equation.

Saturday in Pittsburgh, the Blue Jackets didn’t play well out of the gate, but they were able to rebound from a 2-1 deficit to take a shootout win against the Penguins. It was a similarly slow start and the same score after 20 minutes Tuesday at home vs. Ottawa, but the result wasn’t, as the Blue Jackets suffered a 4-1 loss that ended their four-game winning streak.

“I hate slow starts. I hate it,” Bowness said after the game. “We’ve addressed it tonight. We’ll address it tomorrow. We’ll address it Thursday, and it’s gotta come from them. X’s and O’s, structure and all the principles, that’s one thing. Will is another one, right? Will is a skill. It is on its own. And we’ve shown lots of will, but we haven’t in the two first periods the last two games, but we can fix that. And we’ll fix it.”

Speaking after Wednesday’s practice, Bowness reiterated that the message has been sent.

“If they didn’t see it today, then they had earmuffs on and they weren’t paying attention, trust me,” Bowness said.

If you look at the standings, the Blue Jackets have no margin for error when it comes to wading into games, as Columbus enters tonight’s contest vs. Dallas seven points behind the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The good news is that Bowness has seen a lot to like from his new team outside of the last two opening periods, including the response against Ottawa when the Blue Jackets had scoring chances in the middle frame but never found the tying goal they needed.

The opening minutes will continue to be important, though, especially with the upcoming schedule. Tonight’s opponent in Dallas enters the game tied for fifth in the NHL in points, while Saturday’s foe – Tampa Bay – is tied for second.

“It’s something we have to clean up pretty quickly because this time of year, we need these wins desperately – more than the teams we’re playing for sure,” Erik Gudbranson said of the starts. “We’re going to take a hard look at that. It just sets the tone for the game when you’re able to impose your will right off the hop. You get in their face, you set the tone for the game and you make them adjust to you. That’s a big part of playing hockey is starting on time.”

The Blue Jackets also could get a boost to the lineup with the potential returns of veteran forwards Mason Marchment and Isac Lundeström, who appear to be nearing returns after missing time with injury.

Scratches: Zach Aston-Reese, Brendan Gaunce, Dante Fabbro (lower body injury), Denton Mateychuk (upper body injury)

Injured Reserve: F Mason Marchment (upper body injury, returned to practice); F Miles Wood (lower body injury, week to week); D Brendan Smith (knee surgery, out three to four months as of Jan. 8)

Roster Report: Both Marchment and Lundeström practiced Wednesday and could return to the lineup today, though Marchment would have to be activated from injured reserve. Merzlikins left Tuesday’s game with illness and did not practice Wednesday, so Greaves appears likely to get the nod in net; Bowness said the Blue Jackets would have to recall a goaltender if Merzlikins can’t dress.

This Day in CBJ History

Jan. 22, 2015: The Blue Jackets kick off festivities for NHL All-Star Weekend at Nationwide Arena. It marks the first and only time so far Columbus hosts the event, which included an outdoor Winter Park of activities.

Jan. 22, 2017: Cam Atkinson scores an unassisted goal 1:07 into overtime to win a wild 7-6 final at Ottawa after the Blue Jackets rally from a deficit with a three-goal third period. Atkinson’s goal was his second of the night, while Alexander Wennberg notches three assists.

Jan. 22, 2025: Adam Fantilli earns his first career hat trick in his return to his hometown, scoring three goals in the Blue Jackets’ 5-1 win in Toronto. Fantilli scores a shorthanded goal in the first period, adds another goal in the second and completes the hat trick with an empty-net goal in the third. Fellow Greater Toronto Area native Luca Del Bel Belluz adds a goal and an assist in his first game in Scotiabank Arena.

The Numbers Game

Charlie Coyle is set to become the fifth player to skate in his 1,000th NHL game while doing so in CBJ colors, joining Sergei Fedorov, Vinny Prospal, Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek. He is also one goal from 200 in his NHL career. ... Zach Werenski saw his 16-game home ice point streak end Tuesday but has points in 13 of the last 15 games (9-13-22) as well as 24 of the last 29 (14-27-41). He is tied first among NHL defensemen in goals (18), second in points (52), second in average ice time (26:38) and is first in multipoint games (17). ... Kirill Marchenko has six points in the last five games (2-4-6) and points in 11 of the last 14 games (8-7-15). ... Mathieu Olivier has 21 hits in the last four games and is second in the NHL with 62 since returning from injury Dec. 28. ... Blue Jackets defensemen have scored 37 goals this season, the most in the NHL. … Danton Heinen notched his first goal as a Blue Jacket on Saturday and is two from 100 in his NHL career. ... Columbus has scored the first goal in 13 of the last 18 contests and is 5-1 in shootouts this year.

Know The Foe: Dallas Stars

Head coach: Glen Gulutzan (First season)

Team stats: Goals per game: 3.32 (T-7th) | Scoring defense: 2.76 (6th) | PP: 29.2 percent (2nd) | PK: 79.6 percent (T-15th)

The narrative: Sitting fourth in the NHL in points percentage, Dallas has one of the most complete teams in the NHL and has made it to the Western Conference Final each of the past three seasons. Last year’s loss to Edmonton, though, led to the ouster of head coach Peter DeBoer, with Gulutzan hired for his second stint behind the Stars bench. With a roster boasting plenty of talent and a good mix of veterans and young standouts, the Stars have their sights on making it to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2020.

Scoring leaders: There are stars aplenty – pardon the pun – on the roster, as Mikko Rantanen, Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston are among the league leaders in scoring. Rantanen sits sixth in the league with 63 points and fifth with 44 assists, while Robertson’s 29 goals are third in the NHL and Johnston’s 26 goals are tied for fifth. Robertson (58) and Johnston (54) are also in the league’s top 20 in points. Then there’s Miro Heiskanen, whose 7-32-39 line leads the defense and places him in a tie for eighth in the league in points among blueliners.

In net: Jake Oettinger has become one of the more dependable netminders in the league, following last year's 36-win season (third in the NHL) with an 18-10-4 record, 2.67 GAA and .902 save percentage. Backup Casey DeSmith has also been solid, starting 18 games with a 10-3-5 record, 2.46 GAA and .911 SV%.

What's new: The Stars were just 2-6-4 in their last 12 games before Tuesday’s 6-2 thumping of Boston, and they were struggling to score goals in that span, posting just 2.50 per game. Rantanen missed Tuesday’s game with illness while forward Tyler Seguin (ACL) and defenseman Lian Bichsel (lower body) have been out long term, but while the Stars have struggled of late, they’re one of the most complete teams in the league when they get going.

Trending: Columbus posted a 5-1 victory in Dallas in the first matchup between the teams this year on Oct. 21. The Blue Jackets also posted a 6-4 victory in last season’s meeting in Nationwide Arena.

Former CBJ: After leading Dallas with 82 points last season, Matt Duchene signed a four-year extension to stay with the Stars this offseason. He has played 25 games and posted a 4-7-11 line.