Welcome to The Warmup.
Here, you'll get everything you need to know – including keys to the game, where to watch and listen, and more – before the Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche meet for the first time this season (and first time since Feb. 8, 2020).
The Avalanche will also visit Nationwide Arena on Saturday night, but there's business to tend to tonight in Denver.
TUNE-IN
Where to watch, listen and stream tonight's game...
WHO: Blue Jackets (5-3-0) vs. Avalanche (4-4-0)
WHERE: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado
WHEN: 9 p.m. ET
TV: Bally Sports Columbus (Jeff Rimer, Jody Shelley)
RADIO: 97.1 FM (Bob McElligott, Dylan Tyrer)
STREAM: ESPN+ (out of market only)
THE LOWDOWN
Columbus is coming off a 4-3 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday afternoon at Prudential Center. Colorado won its second straight game, 4-1, over the Minnesota Wild on Saturday night.
The Avalanche are without stars Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar, who will miss tonight's game with upper-body injuries. Jonas Johansson will oppose Joonas Korpisalo between the pipes.
ALL-TIME: The Blue Jackets are 20-35-6 against the Avalanche in 51 meetings, and have won only 10 road games in the series. Colorado won both meetings in 2019-20, a 4-2 win at home and a 2-1 win at Nationwide Arena.
KEYS TO THE GAME
What do the Blue Jackets need to do to win tonight? We're glad you asked.
- Play Fast: The Blue Jackets fancy themselves a quick-skating team. The Avalanche, on the other hand, might be the NHL's fastest team with speed up and down the lineup (and on their blue line). Without saying Columbus needs to turn this game into a track meet, its ability to match Colorado's speed and keep the play in front of them will be huge.
- Manage The Puck: When the Blue Jackets turn the puck over, bad things happen. All you need is a brief review of Sunday's game, in particular the second period. Mistakes compound themselves and with a young team, taking care of the puck is paramount. The Avalanche don't need the Blue Jackets' help to create offense.
- Down, But Not Out: Colorado is missing some key players tonight – but that shouldn't change the approach for the Blue Jackets. Nathan MacKinnon is one of the top players in the world, Gabriel Landeskog can fill the net, and overall, there's plenty of talent on Jared Bednar's team.
From the head coach...
