It’s been a while since the Dallas Stars (37-19-2) had a game like Tuesday night’s contest. The Columbus Blue Jackets (28-22-8) welcomed the Stars into their building and gave them a 6-4 beatdown that easily could have been 6-1. The Stars had some fight, so maybe “beatdown” is a bit strong, but it wasn’t a great game from the road team.
Related: Blue Jackets Jump Into Playoff Spot With Win Over Stars
There are two sides to this game, but for now, let’s just say the Blue Jackets are not the bottom-feeders they once were, who gave out “free two points.” The team has trouble keeping pucks out of their net at times – the Stars scored four goals in their worst games in months. However, they can score with the best of them, and they’ll make their opponents pay if they don’t bring their ‘A’ game.
Alright, back to the Stars. Here’s a look at the night that was.
Mavrik Bourque Keeps On Truckin’
There are a few negatives from this game, and they all stem from one thing. But we’ll save the negativity for later. For now, Mavrik Bourque was the 30th overall pick in the 2020 Draft, and there were high hopes for him coming into his first full season with the Stars. He had an incredibly slow start to the 2024-25 campaign, to the point that some wondered if management should use him to beef up the roster before the trade deadline.
In the first 31 games of the season, Bourque had two goals and seven points. In the 21 games since, he has seven goals and 12 points, including his current five-game point streak and a goal on Tuesday. He’s been moved up and down the lineup, but he’s not counted on to be a dominant producer like Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson. Still, he’s a great young talent, and what he’s contributed to the Stars recently is exactly what they need as the season chugs along. If he had 12 points every 21 games from the start of the season, that would have it at roughly a 50-point pace. Not bad for a rookie who hovers around the middle of the lineup.
Road Trips and 4 Nations Caught Up to Stars
It’s hard to dwell on the negatives from Tuesday night, considering the Stars have won nine of their last 13 games and 15 of 22 games since Jan. 1. There was some sloppy defensive play, and Jake Oettinger didn’t look great, but the Stars looked out of gas before the first 20 minutes expired.
Dallas has played eight of their last 10 games on the road and ended a six-game road trip…
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