Game #11 Preview/Gamethread: Blue Jackets take on the Avalanche in Finland for the NHL Global Series

Friday, November 4, 2022 - 2:00 EDT
Nokia Arena - Tampere, Finland
TV: NHLN, SN, ALT, BSOH; Radio: 97.1 FM
Opponent’s Blog: Mile High Hockey

Columbus Blue Jackets (3-7-0, 6 points, 8th Metro, 15th East)

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Colorado Avalanche (4-4-1, 9 points, 5th Central, 10th East)

Hyvää huomenta! According to Google Translate, that is Finnish for “Good Morning.” The Columbus Blue Jackets have been in Finland this week, and are finally back on the ice this afternoon in Tampere, Finland for the NHL Global Series to take on the defending Stanley Cup winners, Colorado Avalanche. It won’t get any easier for the Blue Jackets as they try to right the ship and save their season before it slips away from them.

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Player to Watch

Patrik Laine

Who else would it be? Laine returns to his hometown to play in front of friends and family for the first time in years and has to be absolutely ecstatic. Brad Larsen described Laine as practically dancing around the ice during practices this week. Laine — and to a slightly lesser degree Joonas Korpisalo — have been treated like true A-list celebrities during this trip, and both should be itching to put on a good show for the hometown crowd.

Laine has been quiet since returning from injury, and I can’t think of a better time for him to really break out and get back to his game.

Jackets Notes

The Blue Jackets have had nearly a week to lick their wounds and work to improve their game after their three straight poundings. The rest and relaxation on their days off in a new place should also help calm some of the nerves the Jackets were feeling during their most recent skid. The organization’s media department has done a great job documenting the teams’ travels through YouTube videos.

Nick Blankenberg should return to the lineup and provide the energy and spark the team so sorely missed in his absence. Captain, Boone Jenner is set to hit the ice tonight after recovering from a brief illness that made his availability for these games doubtful. Elvis gets the start in game one of the back-to-back and desperately needs a good performance to boost his confidence which seems to be almost non-existant at this point.

The Other Bench

It’s still early, but the Avs seem to be having a bit of a Stanley Cup hangover. They’re off to a sluggish start to the season, hanging around the middle of the pack in the standings, currently outside of a playoff position. They will be without their captain, Gabriel Landeskog, for the forseeable future as he recovers from arthroscopic knee surgery. Star power is still abundant throughout the Avalanche lineup with superstars, Nathan Mackinnon leading the forward group and Cale Makar anchoring the defensive corps. They also have their own Finnish players — Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen — returning home to play.

Like Columbus, the Avalanche are coming off a few losses and there’s no doubt head coach Jared Bednar will have his team ready to go and get back on track.

Season Series

11/4/22 - CBJ @ COL
11/5/22 - COL @ CBJ

Stats

Projected Lineups

Let’s go Jackets!