In hopes of controlling the swirling ball of chaos their team has become, the Stars on Monday dropped in a concentrated pill of more chaos.

And in this Marvel Universe season, it kind of worked.

Stan Lee would have been proud.

With a defense held together by salvaged parts from a potato gun and a Dora the Explorer wristwatch, the Stars added an explosive mix to the picture in the person of Alexander Radulov. Like an electric surge of Avenger energy, Radulov helped the Stars look a little more like themselves.

The Dallas Stars' power play started the season on fire, but it's gone cold the last four weeks -- and Monday night, it proved costly. The Stars misfired on four power-play opportunities in a 2-1 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center.

"This was not the result we wanted," said Stars forward Alexander Radulov. "We weren't good on the power play, and that basically cost us points."

The Stars had three chances on the power play in the first period with a chance to take the lead in the game, but they managed just one shot on goal. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were able to get off three shorthanded shots on the three Dallas power plays and then cashed in on their first power play of the game to take a 1-0 lead early in the second.

The Stars had another power play late in the third with a chance to tie the game, but they were unable to get a shot on goal.

In attendance for Monday night's game between the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets, former Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland donned a must-see -- and hilarious -- look.

No, the Ohio native didn't play favorites between his home-state Blue Jackets or the Stars. Instead, the left-hander went with something much more neutral: An official, NHL black-and-white striped referee uniform.

Devin Shore sustained a lower-body injury during Monday's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets and is expected to miss the next 7-10 days, head coach Jim Montgomery said following the Stars' 2-1 loss. He will have an MRI on Tuesday to determine the severity of the issue.

With Alexander Radulov back in the lineup for the Dallas Stars, coach Jim Montgomery will reunite the top line of Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, and Radulov for tonight's game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center.

That top line hasn't had much opportunity to play together over the past few weeks with Radulov missing 10 of the past 11 games due to a lower-body injury. The last time Benn, Seguin, and Radulov began a game on the same line was Oct. 16 in New Jersey.

"The plan is to put the big line back together," Montgomery said. "I am sure that will energize all three of them and energize the team."

One thing seems pretty clear in the NHL -- every coach wants to win every game.

When you understand that fact, you can read a few things in about players and how they are treated.

Take Ben Gleason, for example. Probably the 11th man on the Stars depth chart of defenseman, Gleason took advantage of a rare opportunity Saturday. Called up because of injuries to four Stars defensemen and an illness by Roman Polak, Gleason drove three hours to make his NHL debut, and killed it.

What you should know about Monday's game between the Dallas Stars and Columbus Blue Jackets:

The Dallas Stars held a short practice at StarCenter Frisco on Sunday morning. Not everybody was on the ice, but a couple of the guys on the team's long injury list were, and there was some positive news on that front.

Forward Alexander Radulov will return on Monday night when the Stars take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at American Airlines Center (7:30 p.m. CT; FS-SW+; KTCK) , and there is a good chance Brett Ritchie will be back as well.

The status of defenseman Roman Polak is still unclear, but the Stars believe he could be ready, too.

I'm a sucker for schmaltz.

Especially sports schmaltz.

So when Jason Spezza scurried to pick up the puck that was the first NHL goal for Denis Gurianov Saturday, the wheels were turning in my head. Here's a grizzled veteran who is being honored for playing in his 1,000th game understanding just what this moment means to a young player. While Bobby Orr and Don Cherry and Sidney Crosby congratulate Spezza with messages on the video board and highlights are played from his career, the 35-year-old is tending to the history of the game.

C'mon, they make movies about this stuff.

The banged-up Dallas Stars couldn't grind out a win Saturday afternoon, but they did pick up one point against the top team in the Western Conference, falling 5-4 in overtime to the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center.

But it was a tough loss for the Stars, who had a 3-1 lead going into the third period, saw the Predators tie the game on a power-play goal in the final minute, and then win after the Stars couldn't cash in on a 4-on-3 power play in overtime.  

Just after the Stars misfired on the power play in OT, Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who had been in the penalty box, took a cross-ice pass from Kyle Turris and scored from the left circle at the 2:27 mark.

"It's a disappointing loss for us -- I thought we deserved a better fate," said Stars center Jason Spezza. "That one stings a little bit for sure."