COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Blue Jackets’ scoring slump continued Saturday night in Dallas, where Columbus fell 3-1 to the Stars at American Airlines Center despite a push over the final two periods, NHL.com and The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Dallas scored twice in the first period and never trailed. Mikko Rantanen opened the scoring on the power play at 2:16 of the first, tapping in a feed through the crease for his team-leading seventh goal of the season, according to NHL.com. Thomas Harley made it 2-0 in the final second of the period, beating Jet Greaves to the short side from the left boards, NHL.com reported.
The first period also produced the save that defined the night. With 1:22 left in the first and Dallas leading 1-0, Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped an undefended Zach Werenski in the slot with his right pad and blocker, The Columbus Dispatch reported. About a minute later, Harley’s goal doubled the lead instead of Columbus tying the game.
Columbus thought it had cut the deficit early in the third period. Valeri Nichushkin appeared to score from the slot at 2:23, but a Dallas coach’s challenge led video review to rule Columbus offside on the zone entry at 2:11, and the goal was disallowed, NHL.com reported.
"You feel terrible for Val [Nichushkin]. You finally score and it’s called back on an offside," Blue Jackets coach Rick Bowness told The Columbus Dispatch. "But that’s how things are going for [us] right now. If we keep up that effort that we’re showing right now, good things are going to happen for this hockey club and we’ll go on a run."
Damon Severson finally got Columbus on the board at 6:21 of the third, outmuscling Rantanen in front after Werenski carried the puck low, NHL.com reported. It was Severson’s second goal of the season; Werenski picked up his 10th assist, and Kent Johnson added his fifth assist and 12th point in 12 games, according to The Columbus Dispatch.
Columbus could not find the tying goal in the final minutes, and Arttu Hyry sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 19:59 — Dallas’s second goal of the game in the final second of a period, NHL.com reported. Greaves finished with 14 saves for Columbus, while Oettinger held Columbus scoreless until the third period, according to NHL.com and The Columbus Dispatch.
There was one genuine bright spot in the lineup. Defenseman Ivan Provorov played 19:31 in his season debut after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury, NHL.com reported. Field Level Media noted Provorov had not missed a game due to injury in his first 10 NHL seasons before the preseason injury cost him the start of this year.
The loss dropped Columbus to 5-7-0 with two straight defeats, while Dallas improved to 8-5-1, NHL.com and Field Level Media reported. Columbus finished its first multi-game road trip at 1-2-0, according to The Columbus Dispatch, a trip that summed up the current problem: enough effort and chances to stay in games, not enough finishing to win them.
Dallas, meanwhile, closed a six-game homestand at 4-2-0, NHL.com and Field Level Media reported, snapping a two-game slide that had followed a five-game winning streak. Miro Heiskanen added two assists for the Stars, and with his 356th career point he passed Risto Siltanen for the fourth-most points by a Finnish defenseman, NHL.com reported in its game notes.
What we know — and what we’re still waiting on
What we know: the final score, the scoring sequence and Columbus’s record are confirmed by NHL.com, The Columbus Dispatch and Field Level Media, and no injuries from this game were reported by any of the three outlets. What we’re still waiting on: whether the offense breaks out on the coming homestand, and whether Columbus can reverse this result when Dallas visits in the rematch later this week.
Columbus now comes home for a two-game homestand, opening against the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, Nov. 3, at Nationwide Arena, then facing Dallas again on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in Columbus to close the two-game season series, The Columbus Dispatch and NHL.com reported. For a team that believes its best hockey is ahead of it, the week offers a quick, concrete test.
Related coverage: Central Ohio runners bound for the state meet and Ohio State men open the season Monday against BYU.
Photo: Eric, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons