The Dallas Stars and the Columbus Blue Jackets meet in NHL action from Nationwide Arena on Thursday night.

Dallas Falls To Boston

The Dallas Stars come into this game looking to rebound from back-to-back losses after a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins in their last game. Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski each have a team-high 11 points with 5 goals and 6 assists while Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson each have 9 points with Benn logging 3 goals and 6 assists while Robertson has 7 assists. Wyatt Johnson also has 8 points with 4 goals and 4 assists. Miro Heiskanen also has 7 points with 6 assists on the year. Jake Oettinger has posted a 5-2-1 record in goal for Dallas with a 2.11 GAA and a .933 save percentage while Scott Wedgewood is 2-1 with a 3.36 GAA and a .911 save percentage.

Dallas Stars Team Facts

• The Stars have won each of their last 10 games following a home loss.
• The Stars have failed to cover the puck line in each of their last nine games at Nationwide Arena against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Stars have won the second period in each of their last four games against the Blue Jackets.
• The ‘Over 1.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in four of the Stars’ last five games.

Columbus Falls To Florida

The Columbus Blue Jackets come into this one looking to rebound from a 5-4 OT loss to the Florida Panthers in their last matchup. Ivan Provorov leads the Blue Jackets with 9 points all coming by way of his team-high 9 assists while Boone Jenner has 8 points with a team-high 6 goals. Jack Roslovic has 7 points with 2 goals and 5 assists and Adam Fantilli and Kirill Marchenko each have 6 points with 2 goals and 4 assists. Elvis Merzlikins has posted a 3-3-2 record between the pipes for Columbus this season, putting up a 3.20 GAA and an .897 save percentage while Spencer Martin is 1-2-1 with a 2.62 GAA and a .926 save percentage.

Columbus Blue Jackets Team Facts

• The Blue Jackets have lost seven of their last eight games after coming off overtime.
• The Blue Jackets have covered the puck line in 10 of their last 11 games as home underdogs against the Stars.
• The ‘Over 2.5 Goals Period 1′ market has hit in each of the Blue Jackets’ last three games as underdogs against opponents on a losing streak.
• The Blue Jackets have lost the first period in seven of their last eight games as home underdogs after coming off overtime.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Columbus Blue Jackets ranks 7th in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (86.84%).
• The Columbus Blue Jackets ranks 25th in the league in power play percentage this season (14.63%).
• The Dallas Stars ranks 2nd in the league in penalty kill percentage this season (92.50%).
• The Dallas Stars ranks 29th in the league in power play percentage this season (9.68%).

Chris’ Pick

I’m rolling with Dallas here. The Blue Jackets are just not playing good hockey right now, losing 7 of their last 8 games and while the Stars lost to Boston, a lot of teams are going to be losing to the Bruins this season so I really don’t hold it against them in what was a really competitive matchup throughout. All in all, I think we have a bit of a mismatch here and as such, I’m rolling with the Stars in this one.