Early look The full preview opens on Wednesday 28 October, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Columbus Blue Jackets at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop31 Oct · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings82 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty points apart last season

Columbus finished last season 17th in the league on 92 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 83

Across 82 completed games, Dallas lead the head-to-head 45-29-8.

All-time record45-29-8Dallas's record in the series
Meetings played82This is number 83
2025-26 series—
Last 53-2Columbus
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
22 Jan 2026DAL 0 – CBJ 1——CBJ
21 Oct 2025CBJ 5 – DAL 1——CBJ
25 Feb 2025DAL 4 – CBJ 6——CBJ
2 Feb 2025CBJ 3 – DAL 5——DAL
9 Nov 2023DAL 5 – CBJ 2——DAL
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateColumbusDallas
21 Oct 20253-3-0 · 6 pts22nd3-3-0 · 6 pts24th
22 Jan 202623-20-7 · 53 pts25th28-14-9 · 65 pts6th

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 21 Oct 2025, Columbus were 22nd in the league and Dallas 24th. By 22 Jan 2026 it was 25th and 6th.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Dallas out-attempted Columbus 107 to 105

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Columbus Blue Jackets

105 att · 51 on goal · 6 G · 11.8%
Crease3 att · 1 G
Slot29 att · 1 G
Wing44 att · 3 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone9 att · 1 G

Dallas Stars

107 att · 51 on goal · 1 G · 2.0%
Crease6 att · 1 G
Slot51 att · 0 G
Wing27 att · 0 G
Point21 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Dallas have created the better chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

ColumbusDallas
2.43xG for per game3.08
2.78xG against per game2.44
46.7%xG share55.8%
+2.1FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
−1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 2 games for Columbus, 3 for Dallas. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Columbus

Small sample
Power play · 2026-2740.0%
Power play · 2025-2618.9% · 22nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2766.7%
Penalty kill · 2025-2676.0% · 28th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.9% · 71/127
Drawn · 2026-275 (2.50/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (4.50/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
89Matthew Knies22242.00
3Charlie Coyle20331.50
91Kent Johnson21121.00
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
8Zach Werenski20221.00
36Emil Andrae20110.50
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 29 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 29 Oct: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Columbus crease

CBJ · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Oct

Jet Greaves.8772 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx −1.4

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 28 Oct

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0
Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Columbus in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 6.0 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

22 Jan 20261 · DAL 0–1 CBJ
21 Oct 20256 · CBJ 5–1 DAL
25 Feb 202510 · DAL 4–6 CBJ
2 Feb 20258 · CBJ 3–5 DAL
9 Nov 20237 · DAL 5–2 CBJ

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Columbus3.503.503.093.09
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest6.0Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.4Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

4 on the injury lists

Columbus · injuries

No players listed.

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
6 Oct · CBJ

Placed LW Mikael Pyyhtia on waivers.

1 Oct · CBJ

Placed D Ivan Provorov on injured reserve.

27 Sep · CBJ

Assigned G Pheonix Copley to Cleveland (AHL).

5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

Injury report
#14Oscar HemmingRound 1 · Boston CollegeLW
#94Alessandro Di IorioRound 3 · SarniaC
#121Evan JardineRound 4 · YoungstownLW
#142Parker SnellRound 5 · EdmontonG
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final