The Blue Jackets are back on the ice tonight on the road, taking on the Stars in Dallas. They will face another elite team that has Stanley Cup aspirations this season.
After finding a way to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night, the Blue Jackets hold a 2-3-0 record (4 points) to start this season. They have faced stiff competition in each of their games, in what has been a surprisingly Western Conference heavy start to the year.
Their opponents hold a combined record of 15-9-6 thus far, with Tampa Bay accounting for roughly half of those losses. It has not been an easy start to the year for the Jackets, but they have held their own.
They will look to do so again tonight against a Stars team that is 3-2-0 to start their own campaign. Dallas also last played on Saturday night, losing 3-1 against the Blues in St Louis, so the Jackets should expect them to be a little bit surly to start this game.
The Opponent
In my opinion, the Stars have the deepest roster in the entire NHL. They don't have a Connor McDavid or Cale Makar, but they do have an abundance of talent and depth at every position.
Up front, they're led by Mikko Rantanen, who has 3 goals and 7 points to start the year. After him, there are four players tied with 6 points apiece, a list that does not include names like Tyler Seguin, Matt Duchene, or elite defenseman Miro Heiskanen.
The Stars may be without Duchene tonight as he's battling an injury, but that will do little to ease the offensive load. This is a very good team that has as good a shot at the Stanley Cup as anyone else.
Update: Duchene will miss tonight's game.
In goal, they will face Jake Oettinger, who can be an elite goaltender on any given night. This is going to be a tough matchup. The Stars are big, physical, talented, and should be motivated to get back into the win column.
Jake Oettinger is confirmed as Stars starting goalie tonight vs Columbus per Glen Gulutzan
— Bruce LeVine (@BruceLeVinePuck) October 21, 2025
The Good Guys
There aren't any changes anticipated with the CBJ lineup after their win on Saturday:
Same skater lineup for #CBJ tonight in Dallas. The Blue Jackets will keep the goalie rotation, so Elvis Merzlikins gets the start against the Stars.
— Jeff Svoboda (@JacketsInsider) October 21, 2025
Defenseman Erik Gudbranson has been skating again as he recovers from an upper-body injury. The team also recalled Dysin Mayo from the Cleveland Monsters, to take an extra body on the road with them. That was likely just precautionary, but anything is possible.
In goal, the rotation continues. Elvis Merzlikins gets the nod tonight in Dallas. Goaltending has been terrific for the Jackets early this season, no matter which guy has started. Hopefully, Elvis can keep up his stellar play.
Three Keys to Success
1. Match the intensity, but tow the line. The Blue Jackets are one of the few teams in the league who can match up physically against a team like the Stars. They will need to do that, while staying out of the penalty box tonight because this is another team that can burn you on the power-play.
2. Figure out those special teams. This is going to be a topic in every article until the Jackets can figure it out. They need a power-play goal. They need to kill off any penalties they take. Otherwise, the Stars will thrive off of the momentum swings.
3. Build off of success. The Blue Jackets did exactly what Dean Evason predicted on Saturday night: they played their best game of the season to this point. They were strong defensively, carried the game from a possession standpoint, got some saves, and had secondary scoring. More of that, please.
This one will be a late start due to the Central time zone. Puck drop is at 8:00. You can catch the game locally via Fan Duel Sports Network, nationally via ESPN+, or listen in via NHL radio.