The Stars dodged another defenseman injury crisis this weekend. After Lian Bichsel left the game with a concussion against the Islanders on Sunday, nothing else is seriously wrong with him. He will remain in the NHL concussion protocol for the remainder of the week. The Stars will carefully monitor his recovery and determine when he should return to the ice. The Stars won't have to make an emergency trade for a defenseman before the deadline.
The Stars are not going to be trading for Erik Karlsson. Jim Nill kind of scoffed at that and asked me to show him where he can afford $11.5 million in cap space for 3 seasons without having to lose some of the younger players getting raises during that time.
— Sean Shapiro (@seanshapiro) February 25, 2025
After that debacle on Sunday night, the Stars look to sweep their three-game road trip out of the 4-Nations break with a win against the Columbus Blue Jackets tonight. It will be an early start time of 6 PM CT tonight, so plan accordingly. Brendan Smith will take Bichsel's spot in the lineup, which means Logan Stankoven will return after being a healthy scratch on Sunday. Here are the four keys of the game tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets if the Stars want the road-trip sweep
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: 4. Please help Jake Oettinger and his sniffles
Oettinger caught whatever virus or flu was going around the 4-Nations tournament. He wasn't himself on Sunday night because two goals he allowed were routine stops for him on any other night. I know the Stars won't have any physicality in the lineup with Bichsel out, but someone needs to step up and help out Oettinger in front of the net tonight. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jamie Benn try to start something after the refs blow the play dead.
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: 3. Find a way to win
Columbus will be amped up tonight because of their weekend outdoor game at the Horseshoe. The Stars must be ready for that young team out of the gate tonight. They want to build momentum going into the weekend, so they might pounce on Oettinger early. The Stars can't ease themselves into tonight's game with the Blue Jackets. That would be a disaster for Dallas because Columbus likes to end games early. Stars need to be ready for the early onslaught tonight.
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: 2. Slow down Kirill Marchenko
In the preview of the upcoming games, I mentioned that the Stars need to slow Kirill Marchenko down. He's one of those players who can breathe life into the Blue Jackets to steal games from playoff teams. Thomas Harley will have his work cut out tonight with Bichsel sidelined. The rest of the Stars need to help Harley contain him, or it could be a long night for Dallas. If the Stars can shut him down tonight, that three-game road trip sweep will be theirs.
Dallas Stars vs. Columbus Blue Jackets: 1. All eyes on Stankoven
I think many Stars fans knew it was coming, but Stankoven was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career on Sunday. It was pointed out that Dallas has a deep forward depth and this scratch was because Stankoven wasn't producing offense. The healthy scratch might light a fire underneath him, and he could take out his frustrations against the Blue Jackets tonight. I hope Stankoven proves tonight that he's here to stay in Dallas for the long haul with a career game.