The Columbus Blue Jackets end the first road trip of 2026-27 in Dallas, where they will take on the Dallas Stars to try and get back to .500 on the young season. However, following a disappointing result Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes, they now have the task of getting everything back on track before heading home.
However, one big addition comes back tonight for the Blue Jackets in the form of Ivan Provorov. He will bring back another element of steadiness to the defensive core that badly needs it. He will likely rejoin his defensive partner from a year ago, Denton Mateychuk, on the second pairing.
If the Blue Jackets can contain the scoring threats of the Stars tonight, they can allow their offense another chance to break out, in a season where production has been hard to come by. The majority of their scoring has come from three players so far: Kent Johnson, who leads the team with seven goals, and Cole Sillinger and Adam Fantilli, who have three and four goals, respectively.
So, what are the three keys to victory in tonight’s Halloween game against the Stars?
Blue Jackets Need Cleaner Zone Entries
One of the things that is most noticeable through the first 11 games for the Blue Jackets has been just how out of sync they look when things aren’t going well. When it rains, it really does pour for Columbus, and the biggest thing has been puck possession and an inability to connect on passes all around the ice.
Another place you see the zone entries play out consistently is on the special teams units, and specifically the power play, which has struggled mightily all season to get any kind of momentum going. I have to think a big piece of that is not being able to find a connection on those prime scoring opportunities that other teams are consistently creating with the man advantage.
However, the young combination of Johnson and Fantilli has been a great combination all season, and they need some help from the other guys who are on the top unit. They even connected on a power-play goal on a Johnson tip-in from the crease to tighten the game against the Hurricanes.
KJ ON THE POWER PLAY 🚨
CBJ x @FanaticsSports https://t.co/zrUibi1vYm
— Columbus Blue Jackets (@BlueJacketsNHL) October 30, 2026
However, getting into the offensive zone unscathed has been the most difficult part. If they can consistently do that, and allow themselves to set up in the zone and make those silky passes around the ice, it will eventually open up those grade A chances.
They have relied far too much on dumping the puck in and trying to retrieve it, and that hasn’t worked well enough to keep possession or win battles deep in the zone. If they can walk it in and get into those set plays, they have a greater chance of scoring more goals.
Time and time again early this season, they have worked on set plays, or plays off the faceoff on the power play, but they are still waiting to convert on them. Tonight would be another great opportunity to start converting more and giving their goaltender goal support to make his job a little easier in the crease.
Werenski and Mateychuk Keep Finding Scoresheet
Yes, there are more ways that Zach Werenski can impact the game than just by scoring. There is no doubting that, but he has to be a factor in scoring goals as well, with this offense struggling to get more scorers involved.
Mateychuk, on the other hand, has scored in three straight games, and he has to continue building on that to prove he is the dominant offensive force this team labeled him to be. He is expected to follow in Werenski’s footsteps and be the type of guy who can push the play offensively while still maintaining his defensive responsibility.
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
With the addition of Provorov, this team looks like they will be running seven defensemen and 11 forwards tonight, so they will have a better chance of keeping their top guys fresh. Mateychuk could be reunited with his former mate, Provorov, which helps him out a ton defensively knowing his partner will be responsible and steady on the back end.
However, the defensemen have been one of the best sources of offense this season, and were last season as well, with Werenski winning the Norris Trophy in part due to his offensive success. So far, though, through 11 games, he has not found the back of the net.
If the Blue Jackets can get Werenski going offensively again tonight and keep Mateychuk hot on the score sheet, it favors Columbus, knowing they have an offensively minded Stars team coming to town. The Blue Jackets also have the unfortunate reality of having to play them coming off back-to-back losses. Scoring will be a premium tonight, but they have to play with another level of intensity.
This game should also mean something to Werenski, after all the offseason rumors of him vetoing a trade to Dallas in the summer. He should have something to prove, to show why he was right in staying with Columbus and trusting their direction.
Greaves Needs to Be Great
One of the biggest letdowns early in the season has been the Blue Jackets’ defensive effort and, more specifically, the inability to keep the puck out of the net. They have been embarrassed twice at home, and have been unable to play 60 minutes with consistent effort. That has to change tonight.
Jet Greaves and Cam Talbot have had a pretty even split in net so far, but that wasn’t the expectation leading into the season. Greaves was expected to be the guy, and he has struggled outside of a shutout he had against the New York Rangers two weeks ago.
He seemed to settle in a little bit after another good performance against the Hurricanes on Thursday, but now he gets another challenging task of being opposite Jake Oettinger in Dallas.
End of one there in Raleigh. It’s 1-0 Hurricanes, who controlled the period as expected. #CBJ fortunate to get out of it down only one goal. Bright spot was Jet Greaves looking sharp in net.
— Brian Hedger (@BrianHedger) October 29, 2026
Greaves enters tonight with a 2-4-0 record alongside a 3.29 GAA, .884 save percentage (SV%), and one shutout. He has to have another great game and be a difference-maker for the Blue Jackets in net. He will get better support in front of him to help take away more opportunities for the opposition with the return of Provorov, but he has to make the easy saves more efficiently.
His goals saved above expected is at negative-1.22 this season, according to hockeystats.com, which would be a career low mark so far into the early season. The man on the other side of the ice has been an absolute animal for the Stars all season, in Oettinger.
Oettinger’s numbers have been remarkable: 6-3-1 with a 1.69 GAA and .917 SV%, alongside three shutouts. He has been critical to their success, and he will have to bounce back after a poor showing against the Montreal Canadiens, where the Stars fell 5-2.
The game will start at 8:00 pm ET, from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The Hockey Writers will have all the latest to see if the Blue Jackets can return to Columbus with a winning road trip and get even at 6-6-0 before a Tuesday faceoff with the Colorado Avalanche.
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