By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
STATS Writer
An improved power play has made the Columbus Blue Jackets a contender in the Central Division.
The Blue Jackets look to open a season-high five-game road trip in strong fashion Thursday night against the Dallas Stars.
Columbus (11-6-2) reached the playoffs for the first time last season despite owning the worst power-play unit in the NHL, converting 12.7 percent of its chances.
This season, Columbus' power play has produced on 23.3 percent of its opportunities to rank seventh. That's helped the Blue Jackets move into second place in the division, two points behind first-place Chicago, but only one ahead of Detroit in third.
The power play also had a big part in Columbus' last two games.
Antoine Vermette scored a power-play goal with 7:34 to play, before Jakub Voracek tallied the deciding goal in a 3-2 shootout win over Edmonton on Monday. That came three nights after Kristian Huselius' man-advantage goal in the second period evened the score at 2 and then Rick Nash had the tiebreaker in a 3-2 victory against Anaheim.
"It's been consistent," coach Ken Hitchcock said of the power play, which has a 24.2 success rate to help Columbus go 5-4-2 on the road.
Nash has been a big key for Columbus' solid play away from home with six goals and nine assists in nine games. Overall, he leads the club with 13 goals and is tied with Vermette for the team lead with 11 assists.
The top overall pick in the 2002 draft, Nash scored all three of his goals against the Stars (9-5-6) last season in Dallas.
Columbus went 1-1-2 against the Stars in 2008-09. However, they're 4-1-1 at Dallas following an 0-9-1 stretch after joining the league in 2000.
The Stars are also getting strong production on special teams, going 6 for 25 during a 3-2-0 stretch after converting 5 of 44 chances over the previous 10 games (4-3-3). Dallas has also been perfect on the penalty kill over the last five games, not allowing a goal in 17 chances.
Special teams again came up big Wednesday, when the Stars scored two power-play goals and killed off all four penalties in a 3-1 win at Detroit.
"We were good where we had to be on the power play and killing penalties," coach Marc Crawford said.
Alex Auld made 33 saves, but Mary Turco should be back in goal. He's 5-1-1 with a 2.10 goals-against average in his last seven games, and 14-1-2 with a 2.24 GAA and two shutouts in 17 matchups with Columbus.
Loui Eriksson scored his ninth goal in the win over the Red Wings. Last season, he had five of his career-high 36 goals against the Blue Jackets.
