Sillinger Scores First Goal: Blue Jackets Weekly News and Notes

Cole Sillinger, the Blue Jackets’ 12th overall pick in 2021, tallied his first of (hopefully) many goals this season last Thursday against the New York Islanders. Sillinger snuck into the slot where Oliver Bjorkstrand was able to find him and feed the puck. 

The Islanders tied that game in the third period, setting up the opportunity for Patrik Laine to score the game winner in overtime. 

Sillinger has a goal and an assist through five games and is averaging just over 14 minutes per game. Centering the third line between Gustav Nyquist and Yegor Chinakhov, Sillinger looks like a centerpiece for the Blue Jackets for years to come. 

Korpisalo Struggles Against Detroit, Carolina

Joonas Korpisalo hasn’t looked himself at all to begin the season. He was between the pipes for the 4-1 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday and the 5-1 loss against the Hurricanes on Saturday. However, in Korpisalo’s defense, three of the five goals in the Carolina game came on the power play. 

“That was a really good hockey team we played tonight,” head coach Brad Larsen said. ”They make you make plays. You have to be on your game against them. You can’t give them anything free... There are not a lot of holes in that team.”

“You get that many penalties you are shooting yourself in the foot. You've got to play them five on five."

Columbus’ penalty kill is at 77.8% through five games, ranking 20th in the league. Last season, the Blue Jackets were tied for 20th at 79% for the season. While it’s certainly a point of concern, it’s still a small sample size this early in the season and is an area Columbus will work on improving. 

Stars In Town Monday

The Blue Jackets will host the Dallas Stars Monday night at Nationwide Arena. Columbus went 3-4-1 against the Stars last season, but they were outscored 27-19 in those games. However, Dallas has struggled offensively this season and is averaging just 2.00 goals per game (the Blue Jackets are averaging 3.00 goals per game).

Elvis Merzlikins will be back in the net on Monday for his fourth start of the season. So far this year, he has a 3-0-0 record, a 1.63 GAA, and a .947 save percentage. 

Adam Boqvist will miss the game due to an undisclosed injury. Max Domi is still roughly another week away from returning from his rib injury. 

For the Stars, Jason Robertson (upper body) and Blake Comeau (upper body) will both be out on Monday, but John Klingberg will make his return to the lineup after dealing with a lower body injury.