Game Preview #4: Blue Jackets vs. Avalanche - Shake it Off, Boys
The Blue Jackets don't have to wait long to shake off last night's pretty ugly loss in Phoenix, as they turn around to play in Colorado tonight.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Colorado Avalanche
January 24, 2013 - 9:00pm EST
Pepsi Center - Denver, Colorado
Radio - WBNS 97.1 - TV - Fox Sports Ohio
Opponents Blog: Mile High Hockey
SBNation Game Page
Well, last night sucked. The good news is that the Jackets don't have to dwell on it for too long, as they turn right around and play again tonight in Denver against the Avalanche.
The Jackets were pretty awful in their own zone last night, and continued to take bad, bad penalties at bad times. The Steve Mason Debate rages on (is he BAD, or was the defense in front of him BAD?), but tonight should see the return to the lineup of Sergei Bobrovsky. Bob has been good when he's had to be in his two starts.
The Avs are coming off a win in their home opener against the Stanley Cup Champions, but lost Steve Downie for the season due to an ACL tear. The last time we met up with the Avs in Denver, it was the second-to-last game of the season and the Jackets were literally ending the playoff chances for the Avs.
One wonders if there will be an revenge sought tonight by the Mile High Club.
Projected Lineups
Columbus Blue Jackets
(1-1-1, 3 Points; 4th division, 8th conference)
| R.J. Umberger | Derick Brassard | Derek Dorsett |
| Brandon Dubinsky | Artem Anisimov | Cam Atkinson |
| Nick Foligno | Ryan Johansen | Vinny Prospal |
| Matt Calvert | Derek MacKenzie | Jared Boll |
| Fedor Tyutin | Nikita Nikitin |
| Jack Johnson | James Wisniewski |
| John Moore | Adrian Aucoin |
| Sergei Bobrovsky |
| Steve Mason |
Colorado Avalanche
(1-1-0, 2 Points; 3rd Division, 10th Conference)
| Gabriel Landeskog | Matt Duchene | P.A. Parenteau |
| Jamie McGinn | Paul Stastny | David Jones |
| Chuck Kobasew | John Mitchell | Milan Hejduk |
| Cody McLeod | Mark Olver | Patrick Bordeleau |
| Erik Johnson | Ryan Wilson |
| Ryan O'Byrne | Jan Hejda |
| Greg Zanon | Matt Hunwick |
| Semyon Varlamov |
| Jean-Sebastien Giguere |
Season Series
01/24/13 - Columbus at Colorado
03/03/13 - Colorado at Columbus
04/15/13 - Columbus at Colorado
Head to Head
Colorado Columbus 2.50 (t13) GPG 2.00 (t22) 2.50 (t13) GAPG 3.33 (19) 14.3% (23) PP% 25.0% (12) 84.6% (t8) PK% 84.6% (t8) five tied, 1 G leader six tied, 1 nine tied, 1 A leader Fedor Tyutin, 3 14 tied, 1 Pts leader Fedor Tyutin, 4 Cody McLeod, 9 PIM leader Derek Dorsett, 13 1-0-0 Home/Road 1-1-0 vs Los Angeles, W 3-1 Last Game @ Phoenix, L 5-1 1-1-0 Last 10 1-1-1
Game Notes
- Cam's Hat Trick - Last year's last game against Colorado (in Denver) was the official coming out party for Cam Atkinson, in which he scored his first career hat trick. He followed that game up with a two-goal game to close out the season at home, and scored in the second game of the season Monday night. Here's hoping a trip back to Denver can get him going again like it did last spring.
- The Turnovers - OK, at some point, it has to look like they're improving, right? It's been three games, and I feel like the sloppy play in their own zone has actually gotten worse. Jack Johnson told me it was in large part because of the rust factor and that there are new bodies here. But, at some point, it needs to get better.
- Conditioning - This is the fourth game for Columbus in six nights, and in the fourth city. The Mile High City is not a great place to have tired legs. Here's hoping the Jackets can bring some energy tonight.
Just remember: it's 3:30 PM on January 24, 2013...
...AND ADAM FOOTE STILL BLOWS!