PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* THURSDAY THRASHER
(NHL) Dallas vs. Columbus,
Money Line: 103.00 Columbus (Home)
Result: Win
Money Line: 103.00 Columbus (Home)
Result: Win
The set-up: The Columbus Blue Jackets lost their final two games prior to their NHL-mandated bye. That's worse than it sounds because the defeats came at the hands of two of the NHL's worst teams, Vancouver and Buffalo. Columbus (25-18-3) and its injury-depleted lineup will return from its five-day hiatus to hosts the 26-17-3 Dallas Stars on Thursday night. Dallas will play its third-game of a four-game road trip . The Star opened the trip with a 3-2 overtime win at Boston on Monday night and followed it up 24 hours later by beating Detroit 4-2 to improve to 6-2-0 in the team's last eight games.
Dallas: Veteran center Jason Spezza was mired in a 14-game goalless drought before he was scratched for Monday's loss but he responded to the benching by scoring twice on the power play against the Red Wings on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg had two assists Tuesday to give him 12 points during a career-high eight-game point streak. He's the first Stars defenseman with a streak that long since Sergei Zubov in 2006 and has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game later this month. Klingberg leads all defensemen in points by a wide margin with 43 in 46 games.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets started the 2018 calendar year with a 2-1 win at Dallas -- their fourth straight win in the series -- but they lost 3-1 at Buffalo (2nd-fewest points in the NHL), before being beaten 5-2 by visiting Vancouver entering the bye. "It'll leave a bad taste in the guys' mouths for sure," Columbus captain Nick Foligno said after the loss to the Canucks. "But ... we can get away, recharge and know that we have a chance here to get some energy for a big push in February, March and April." Columbus' depth took a hit when Sonny Milano went on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, prompting the Blue Jackets to claim veteran forward Jussi Jokinen off waivers from Los Angeles. The team is already missing defenseman Ryan Murray plus forwards Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky,
The pick: Columbus should be highly motivated to get back on the ice after entering its bye off those back-to-back losses. The Blue Jackets have been a good home team this season, going 15-8-0 and Dallas comes in allowing 3.13 GPG on the road. Having won four straight over the Stars should give the Blue Jackets even more confidence. Make Columbus a 10* play.
Dallas: Veteran center Jason Spezza was mired in a 14-game goalless drought before he was scratched for Monday's loss but he responded to the benching by scoring twice on the power play against the Red Wings on Tuesday. Defenseman John Klingberg had two assists Tuesday to give him 12 points during a career-high eight-game point streak. He's the first Stars defenseman with a streak that long since Sergei Zubov in 2006 and has been selected to play in the NHL All-Star Game later this month. Klingberg leads all defensemen in points by a wide margin with 43 in 46 games.
Columbus: The Blue Jackets started the 2018 calendar year with a 2-1 win at Dallas -- their fourth straight win in the series -- but they lost 3-1 at Buffalo (2nd-fewest points in the NHL), before being beaten 5-2 by visiting Vancouver entering the bye. "It'll leave a bad taste in the guys' mouths for sure," Columbus captain Nick Foligno said after the loss to the Canucks. "But ... we can get away, recharge and know that we have a chance here to get some energy for a big push in February, March and April." Columbus' depth took a hit when Sonny Milano went on injured reserve Tuesday. He is expected to miss six to eight weeks, prompting the Blue Jackets to claim veteran forward Jussi Jokinen off waivers from Los Angeles. The team is already missing defenseman Ryan Murray plus forwards Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky,
The pick: Columbus should be highly motivated to get back on the ice after entering its bye off those back-to-back losses. The Blue Jackets have been a good home team this season, going 15-8-0 and Dallas comes in allowing 3.13 GPG on the road. Having won four straight over the Stars should give the Blue Jackets even more confidence. Make Columbus a 10* play.
