Gameday Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Avalanche (NHL Global Series game 1)

The Details

BLUE JACKETS vs. AVALANCHE
GAME INFO
COLUMBUS: 3-7-0, 8th in Metropolitan
COLORADO: 4-4-1, 5th in Central
NOKIA ARENA, 2 p.m. ET
NHL GLOBAL SERIES GAMES
BROADCAST INFO
TV:
Bally Sports Ohio
,
Bally Sports Plus
, NHL Network, Sportsnet
AUDIO:
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CBJ Player Statistics
Avs Player Statistics
NHL Standings
RECENT ARTICLES
SvoNotes: Kekäläinen and Korpisalo
Laine returns home
Finland's hockey obsession

What They're Saying

There are plenty of storylines as the Blue Jackets get ready to take part in the NHL Global Series.
Laine is back home
, as was made obvious by the adoring fans -- mostly kids -- who yelled for sticks and pucks every time he got close during Thursday's open practice. Joonas Korpisalo and Jarmo Kekäläinen are back in their home country, too, while the rest of the Blue Jackets have had a chance to enjoy one of Europe's finest attractions for the past few days.
It has truly been a memorable trip, but once the Blue Jackets stepped on the ice for that practice yesterday at Nokia Arena, it started to turn from an experience to savor to more a business trip.
The good news, Larsen said, is the Blue Jackets appeared tuned in during the two hour-long practices they've had since arriving in Finland.
"We worked," he said. "Our two practices were good. I thought they were solid as far as the mind-set and what we wanted to get accomplished. We'll see tomorrow."
It's no secret the Blue Jackets got on the plane to Europe in a bit of a rut, as three straight losses weighed on the squad. Sunday's 7-1 setback in New Jersey was described as "ugly" by Larsen, and the team admitted after the game it needed to get back to a much more competitive mind-set and put the work in to get back on the winning side of things.
"The last two or three games, especially our last one, was a giant thud, really," Larsen said. "You have to reset and get back to really foundational stuff. You have to. There's no magic practice, there's no magic formula how to do it. It's sweat equity. You have to work your way through these things."
The Jackets have said they've enjoyed the trip thus far, but it will be far more memorable if they can return to Columbus with as many points as possible.
"Obviously it's great for Patty to come out here and play in Finland, but these are important games for us," Johnny Gaudreau said. "We need to get going here and try to climb our way back out of the little hole we've put ourselves into."

Know The Foe: Colorado Avalanche

Head coach:Jared Bednar (Seventh season)
Season Stats: Goals per game: 3.11 (15th) | Scoring defense: 3.00 (13th) | PP: 39.3 percent (1st) | PK: 69.7 percent (30th)
The narrative: The defending Stanley Cup champions finally climbed the mountain a season ago, beating Tampa Bay in the Final to lift sport's greatest trophy. One of hockey's most talented teams needed a few years to beat down the door, but they finally entered immortality. Now, the trick is defending the crown, and the Avs are at .500 in the early going coming off consecutive losses to New Jersey and the New York Islanders.
2022-23 leaders:Valeri Nichushkin has followed up his impressive playoff showing with a 7-5-12 line to start the season, but he's missed the last two games with a lower-body injury. Perennial Hart Trophy candidate Nathan MacKinnon has tied him with a 3-9-12 line, while Finnish star Mikko Rantanen isn't far back with 11 points including four goals. Norris Trophy defenseman Cale Makar adds eight assists to this point, while goalie Alexandar Georgiev is 4-1-1 with a 2.81 GAA and .918 save percentage in six games.
What's new: While Nichushkin could return against the Jackets on Friday, captain Gabriel Landeskog just underwent knee surgery and will not play in Finland. There was always going to be turnover on such a successful team, and the Avs are now without Nazem Kadri (Calgary), Andre Burakovsky (Seattle) and goalie Darcy Kuemper (Washington) after all three left in free agency. In their place, the Avs brought in Evan Rodrigues, re-signed trade deadline acquisition and Finnish standout Artturi Lehkonen and added Georgiev in net.
Trending: After being dominated in the early years of the series -- Columbus won just two of the first 24 meetings -- the Blue Jackets have turned things around in recent years. The Jackets are 8-3-1 in the last 12 matchups, including a sweep last season.
Former CBJ:Lukas Sedlak did play three games with the Avs early in the season but has departed for Philadelphia on waivers. Bednar led the then-Cleveland Monsters to the Calder Cup in 2016, while the front office includes general manager Chris MacFarland scout Mike Battaglia, both former CBJ front office staffers.

3 Keys to the Game

Find the compete level: The Blue Jackets acknowledged this was sorely lacking in the loss to New Jersey, and there should be a level of urgency to get back to Blue Jackets hockey after a few days off.
Let Patty cook: The last time Laine played NHL games in his home country, he had a hat trick to push his Winnipeg Jets to a victory in Helsinki back in 2018. It just feels like the stage is his to grab.
Put the power in power play: The Blue Jackets famously are searching for a power-play goal, and the Avs bring in one of the worst-performing PK units in the league. Now is the time to get it going.

3 Stats to Know

• Boone Jenner is a game-time decision in the words of Larsen but said he expects to play tonight after missing Thursday's practice with illness. If he plays, he will become the third CBJ player to skate in 600 games in team history, joining Rick Nash (674) and Cam Atkinson (627). He also will break a tie with Nick Foligno for third all-time in games with the team.
• Columbus is 1-1-0 in games played on the European continent. The team split a pair of contests to begin the 2010-11 season vs. San Jose in Stockholm, Sweden, as part of what was called the NHL Premiere Series at the time.
• Milestone watch: Gustav Nyquist is one point away from 100 (35-64-99) in his CBJ career. … With one more goal, Zach Werenski will tie Ryan Johansen for ninth in CBJ annals with 79 tallies.

Who's Hot

Kent Johnson has points in five of the last six games (3-2-5). … After scoring against New Jersey, Yegor Chinakhov has six points (2-4-6) in the last seven games. … Andrew Peeke has two goals in the last four games after scoring just twice (both empty-netters) last season. … Columbus has seven goals from defensemen on the season, good for fifth in the NHL.

This Day in CBJ History

Nov. 4, 2007: Pascal Leclaire makes 21 saves in a 3-0 shutout of St. Louis, his second blanking of the Blues in two weeks and his fifth shutout in the first 13 games of the campaign.
Nov. 4, 2016: The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 10 goals in a shutout of Montreal at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets scored five goals in the second period, tying the club mark for most goals in a period. Foligno, Atkinson, Josh Anderson and Scott Hartnell each score twice in the win.

Roster Report

Projected Lineup (subject to change)
Johnny Gaudreau - Boone Jenner - Patrik Laine
Gustav Nyquist - Jack Roslovic - Jakub Voracek
Yegor Chinakhov - Cole Sillinger - Kent Johnson
Eric Robinson - Sean Kuraly - Liam Foudy
Zach Werenski - Nick Blankenburg
Vladislav Gavrikov - Andrew Peeke
Jake Bean - Erik Gudbranson
Elvis Merzlikins
Joonas Korpisalo
Scratches: Mathieu Olivier, David Jiricek, Daniil Tarasov
Injured reserve/Injured non-roster: Adam Boqvist (broken foot; out six weeks as of Oct. 26); Justin Danforth (shoulder surgery; out six months as of Oct. 25); Joona Luoto (lower body, day to day)
Roster Report:Blankenburg is also a game-time decision but practiced each day this week after missing three games with injury, while Merzlikins will get the start in the first of the two games here in Finland.