PREVIEW: Blue Jackets return to Nationwide to host Dallas

BLUE JACKETS (4-3-3) vs. STARS (4-1-1)

For the Jackets themselves, every game is about trying to create energy in empty buildings. The unique charms that separate Nationwide Arena from the United Center -- a booming cannon at one, a memorable national anthem at the other -- have largely been rendered indistinguishable during a global pandemic. If there's no one in the building to cheer on the home team, what's really the difference?
It's a problem head coach John Tortorella admits is real when it comes to getting his team up for each game.
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"There are guys that have done it the proper way and guys that I can see are struggling," Tortorella said. "I'm not going to name them because it just doesn't do any good, and the guys know. They know it when you talk to them about it. They know it, but it's difficult when you're used to in professional sports the juice of a building, and it's just totally gone. … We just want to try to help them."
So, how can do that as the coach?
"Do I do a dance? A jingle?" he said with a laugh. "I'm not sure what to do. I think it's upon us as professionals to play as hard as I can. I will give you this, we as coaches have talked about how we're going to coach them in between games and all that, and you worry about just draining the fun out of the game. It looks like sometimes the game isn't fun. And I think we need to address that in between games. We need to touch upon things that we need to go over, but we also want to have some fun here."
While the fun won't come from charged up atmospheres in the near future, there are two things that remain fun no matter where you are in your hockey life -- winning and goal scoring. And the Blue Jackets are getting a boost tonight in hopefully both of those categories as Jan. 23 trade acquisition Patrik Laine makes his debut with the team.
The former Winnipeg sniper, added from Winnipeg along with Jack Roslovic for Pierre-Luc Dubois and a draft pick, has received his work visa, arrived in Columbus and completed mandated quarantine protocols, leaving him eligible to play tonight vs. Dallas, a team against whom he has 18 goals in 17 career games. (Sticking with the holiday theme, you can almost hear "I Got You Babe" playing if Laine steps on the ice).
"I've definitely been watching some games," Laine said after practice of the team. "They have looked pretty good. I think there's still a lot of room to improve, but it looks good. Hopefully I can bring my abilities and bring my strengths into the lineup and hopefully get a lot of wins."
Laine took part in the team's morning skate this morning and even pumped in a few goals as the team practiced its power-play setup. For everyone questioned, the arrival of one of the league's premier goal scorers, who has 140 goals in 306 NHL games, was a jolt of energy.
"You can see in this pregame skate, I know it was quick, but it seemed like every time he shot the puck or scored a goal, the boys got a little bit louder," Cam Atkinson said. "A guy like him coming in definitely brings a lot of energy."
Know the Foe
The Stars have played just six games because of a COVID-19 outbreak ahead of the season, but that hasn't hurt the squad on the ice, where Dallas is off to a strong start with nine points thus far. The Stars started with sweeps of Nashville and Detroit, then went to Carolina, where they left with a point in games staged Saturday and Sunday.
Dallas has twice scored seven goals in a game already, one reason the team is second in the NHL with 3.83 goals per game while also boasting the league's third-best power play at 37.9 percent. The Stars are also third in the league in defense, allowing just 2.17 goals per game.
The Stars are doing it all despite missing two of the team's best players in forward Tyler Seguin (hip) and goalie Ben Bishop (knee), who are both out with injuries, as well as defenseman Stephen Johns (concussion). Defenseman Andrej Sekera also is on the COVID protocol list heading into Columbus.
The seemingly ageless Joe Pavelski leads the way thus far with five goals and 10 points in six games, including four power-play tallies, while defenseman John Klingberg has a 2-6-8 line. Jamie Benn has played in just two games but has a goal and an assist, while Denis Gurianov (3-4-7 in six games), Alexander Radulov (2-4-6 in six games) and Roope Hintz (1-4-5 in four games) each have at least a point per game and standout 21-year-old defenseman Miro Heiskanen has five assists thus far.
In net, last year's playoff star Anton Khudobin is off to another solid start, as the 34-year-old is 3-1-1 in five starts with a 2.17 GAA and .922 save percentage. Rookie Jake Oettinger is the backup and has stopped 30 of 33 shots in two appearances.
Forward Blake Comeau is the only former Blue Jacket on the roster and has an assist in two games played.
3 Keys to the Game
Stay out of the box. We keep saying this, but the Stars are the third straight CBJ opponent to rank in the top six of the NHL in power-play percentage. The Columbus PK remains impressive at 86.4 percent (fifth in the NHL) but limiting opposing chances remains critical.
Laine impact: As the winger makes his debut, he'll be under a spotlight, but it will also be fun to watch. Integrating him into the offense and power play without any practice time will be a process, but it's doable.
Find more offense: The addition of Laine should help, but Columbus created chances on Sunday and didn't finish. At some point, the lid has to come off here.
Of Note
Boone Jenner is set to play in his 500th game with Columbus. … Bjorkstrand has a 3-5-8 line in the past eight games. … Eric Robinson scored the game-winning goal Friday and has collected 2-2-4 in his past five outings. … Joonas Korpisalo's .936 save percentage places seventh in the NHL. … Atkinson is one goal from 200 in his CBJ and NHL careers. He would be the second Blue Jacket to reach the milestone after Rick Nash. … Nick Foligno is one goal from 200 in his NHL career (138 with Columbus, 61 with Ottawa). … Seth Jones has 196 points in his Blue Jackets career and also has 199 career assists in his time with Columbus and Nashville. … Columbus has won eight in a row in the series dating back to Dec. 29, 2015, including the lone contest a season ago, a 3-2 win in Nationwide Arena on Oct. 16. That streak includes a five-game winning run in Nationwide Arena.
Projected Lineup
(Subject to change)
Mikhail Grigorneko - Nick Foligno - Max Domi
Boone Jenner - Jack Roslovic - Oliver Bjorkstrand
Eric Robinson - Mikko Koivu - Liam Foudy
Patrik Laine - Alexandre Texier - Cam Atkinson
Zach Werenski - Seth Jones
Vladislav Gavrikov - David Savard
Michael Del Zotto - Dean Kukan
Joonas Korpisalo (confirmed starter)
Elvis Merzlikins
Scratches: Riley Nash (paternity), Scott Harrington, Gabriel Carlsson
Injured reserve: Kevin Stenlund, Gus Nyquist, Brandon Dubinsky (LTIR)
Roster Report: Tortorella said Laine goes in for Nash, whose wife recently gave birth to their first child. Korpisalo will return to the net in place of Merzlikins.