Blue Jackets vs Stars Picks & Props

However, they could face a stiff test with the surging Columbus Blue Jackets up next.

The host Stars can record their fifth straight victory by keeping the Blue Jackets from a fourth consecutive win on Sunday.

Though currently without injured veteran forwards Tyler Seguin (hip) and Mason Marchment (face), and key defensemen Miro Heiskanen (knee) and Nils Lundkvist (season-ending shoulder surgery), Dallas entered play Saturday with the fourth-most points (67) in the Western Conference. The Stars are 14-4-1 since Dec. 23 and continue to find ways to win games.

Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz each had two goals and an assist on Friday as the Stars won 5-3 over Vancouver at home despite recording just 16 shots on goal.

"We didn't spend enough time in the offensive zone and spent too much time in our own end," Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. "But you've got to win all kinds of different ways in this league. ... We've got to have different formulas here to win games."

Having Robertson and Hintz playing at a high level is a necessity for the Stars. Robertson has posted 34 of his 49 points this season in the last 25 games. Meanwhile, Hintz has three goals with five assists over the last four contests.

Though Jake Oettinger, who stopped 26 shots against Vancouver, has allowed three goals in each of his last three starts, the Stars were victorious in each contest. He's won 10 of his previous 12 starts. Backup Casey DeSmith has not played since he stopped all 33 shots during a 2-0 win at St. Louis on Jan. 25.

Upstart Columbus, meanwhile, currently holds a wild-card spot in the East and is 14-4-2 since Dec. 19. The Blue Jackets have won three straight in overtime and the first two of a four-game trip.

Columbus trailed 2-0 early in the third period Friday at Utah before Kirill Marchenko and Kent Johnson scored to force overtime. Star defenseman Zach Werenski converted early in the extra session for a 3-2 victory.

"It's one of those things where if we want to get where we want to go, and take steps forward, those are the types of games you have to win at some point," said Werenski, who set a club record with 17 points in January. "Those are the types of games you have to win at some point.

"So, I think this is a huge step forward for our group."

With a team-leading 57 points, Werenski is in the race for the most by an NHL defenseman this season alongside established stars Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar. However, Werenski has recorded just two assists without a goal in seven career games at Dallas.

Marchenko has scored three of his team-leading 21 goals in the last four contests.

Columbus backup Daniil Tarasov stopped 31 of 33 shots at Utah, but Elvis Merzlikins will likely be back in net for this contest. Merzlikins is amid a 5-1-0 starting stretch, where he's posted a 1.66 goals-against average and .939 save percentage for the Blue Jackets.

The Stars acquired forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci from the San Jose Sharks on Saturday in exchange for Dallas' first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a conditional third-round selection in 2025.

If Dallas advances to the Stanley Cup Final, the Sharks will receive the Stars' third-round selection in 2025. If the Stars do not reach the Stanley Cup Final, San Jose will receive a fourth-round selection instead.

--Field Level Media