The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to replicate the effort from their most recent outing when they visit the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.
Unhappy with their play in a 4-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday, the Blue Jackets responded with a 60-minute effort that resulted in a 3-2 victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Columbus’ 1-0 lead in the first period turned into a 2-1 deficit in the frame when the Lightning scored twice in four minutes. But the hosts tied it in the second, and Kirill Marchenko scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period.
The Blue Jackets outshot the Lightning 31-24.
“Honestly, (the players) were looking for it,” Columbus coach Dean Evason said. “I think they were accountable, which is what you want, right? It’s one thing for coaches to talk and yell and point out things, but it’s another thing for them to understand it and be accountable for what happened. And they did that.”
Marchenko set career highs last season in goals (31), assists (43) and points (74) and has started out well through the early going of the new campaign. His game-winner on Saturday was his fifth goal in five games.
“We want him to score goals, which he does, but we need him to continue to have that competitiveness, that two-way game (so) that he can be on the ice in all situations,” Evason said. “He’s done that, and he’s getting rewarded, obviously, with goals as well.”
The Blue Jackets recalled defenseman Dysin Mayo from AHL affiliate Cleveland on Sunday, but he’s not expected to face the Stars. Fellow blue-liner Erik Gudbranson rejoined the team at practice Monday for the first time since sustaining an upper-body injury Oct. 11 at Minnesota.
The Stars head into Tuesday’s tilt striving to get back on track after a two-game slide followed their season-opening three-game winning streak. Dallas lost 3-1 to the St. Louis Blues on Saturday after dropping a 5-3 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
Inconsistent efforts within those games were an issue, one the Stars know they need to rectify.
“We haven’t had one game where we played the full 60 minutes,” forward Radek Faksa said. “We obviously have to fix that.”
St. Louis scored twice in the second period before Mikko Rantanen cut the deficit in half late in the third. An empty-net goal from the Blues a minute and change later sealed the defeat.
Against the Canucks, a 2-0 Stars lead after 20 minutes became a 4-2 deficit through 40, with Vancouver tallying four times in a 12-minute span.
“There is a snowball effect,” defenseman Esa Lindell said. “If the other team gets momentum and they get fresh guys, our shifts get longer and then it’s harder to defend. We just need to work on that.”
Resetting after their opponent gets rolling has required some adjustment under new coach Glen Gulutzan.
“There are a few changes we’re still getting used to and we’ll keep working on it,” forward Matt Duchene said.
–Field Level Media
