After a road trip packed with, as the source puts it, “competitive games,” the Blue Jackets are back at Nationwide Arena on Tuesday night with Colorado rolling into town. Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET, and the matchup brings together a rested Columbus team and an Avalanche club that arrives on the second night of a back-to-back after beating Chicago last night.
Colorado comes in at 9-5-1 with 19 points, sitting second in the Central and fourth in the West. Columbus is 5-7-0 with 10 points, eighth in the Metro and 16th in the East. The Avalanche have won three straight after what the source describes as a relatively slow start, and now they’ll try to keep that run going against a Jackets team looking to cash in on home ice and extra rest.
One of the biggest draws here is the blue-line matchup, with Zach Werenski and Cale Makar set to share the stage. The source frames it as a meeting between two perennial Norris Trophy defensemen, and it also points to Makar’s contract situation: he’s in the final year before his extension, which carries a $20.4 million AAV for eight years, kicks in. The article also raises the broader question of what Quinn Hughes and Werenski will land on their next deals.
Colorado’s roster construction is another storyline worth watching. Even with the Avalanche still built around Nathan MacKinnon, the source notes that the club has added veteran centers Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri to strengthen the depth behind him.
Add in Manson, Schwartz and Burns, who is listed at 41, and Colorado’s starting lineup includes five players 34 or older. The piece says it will be interesting to see how the Avalanche adjust as those players age out, especially with a new old GM in charge.
For Columbus, the lineup shuffle continues after scoring dry spells against Dallas and Carolina. Bowness has moved the pieces again, with Knies back on the top line and the Coyle-Sillinger-Olivier trio reunited. Luca Del Bel Belluz gets a chance to center a top-nine line, flanked by Garland and long-time Avalanche forward Nuke.
This game is also a style clash. Colorado wants to play fast and push pace; Columbus, according to the source, is not that team.
The Avalanche back end is built around puck-moving defensemen, so the Jackets’ best path may come if they can win possession in the offensive zone and work the cycle. The source ends that thought with a clipped “If.”
There’s also an injury note worth tracking. Isac Lundestrom skated in the morning session as he works back from an Achilles injury. His return could help the penalty kill, but the source makes clear it probably won’t fix the team’s scoring issues.
The numbers tell the story of two teams in different places offensively. Colorado is averaging 4.27 goals per game, tops in the league, while Columbus sits at 2.33, 29th.
The Avalanche also hold the edge in power play success at 20.4 percent to Columbus’ 12.9 percent, and they’re ahead on the penalty kill as well, 79.1 percent to 73 percent. At five-on-five, Colorado has the better shot share and unblocked shot share, while also carrying a massive 14 percent shooting rate.
Columbus, meanwhile, is still chasing consistency in those areas.
The individual leaders underline the gap. Artturi Lehkonen leads Colorado with 12 goals, Nathan MacKinnon has 16 assists and 25 points, and Fedor Svechkov leads the team in penalty minutes with 23. For Columbus, Kent Johnson leads in goals with seven and points with 12, Zach Werenski has 10 assists, and Matthieu Olivier leads the Jackets with 27 penalty minutes.
The home-road splits and recent form add another layer. Colorado is 3-4-0 on the road, while Columbus is 4-3-0 at home. Over the last 10, the Avalanche are 6-3-1 and the Blue Jackets are 4-6-0.
Projected lineups have Columbus rolling out Matthew Knies, Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson on the top unit, followed by Cole Sillinger, Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier; Valeri Nichushkin, Luca Del Bel Belluz and Conor Garland; and Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan and Ryan Lomberg. The blue line is listed with Werenski and Damon Severson, Ivan Provorov and Denton Mateychuk, and Jake Christiansen?
with Erik Gudbranson. Jet Greaves and Cam Talbot are both listed in goal.
Colorado’s projected group starts with Artturi Lehkonen, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas, then Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy; Jaden Schwartz, Brock Nelson and T.J. Hughes; and Parker Kelly, Fedor Svechkov and Logan O’Connor.
On defense, it’s Devon Toews with Cale Makar, Sam Malinski with Brent Burns, and Brett Kulak with Noah Juulsen. Scott Wedgewood and Mackenzie Blackwood are listed in goal.
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