Avalanche Begins December Against Blue Jackets

The Colorado Avalanche starts the month of December against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Pepsi Center. It's the fourth game of a season-long five-game homestand and the second and final matchup of the season against Columbus.
The Avs are 0-2-1 through the first three contests of the homestand and looking to finish strong before heading on a four-game road swing.

"It's not just a frustrating time for me. I'm just the one standing up here in front of the mic," said head coach Jared Bednar after Wednesday's practice at Family Sports Center. "Our team feels like we've squandered a little bit of an opportunity here with three home games and only one point to show for it so far, but we have two more at home and the road doesn't get any easier. You have a Columbus team coming in here that's on top of its game and they're rolling. They play with speed, and they come at you hard, so we have to be ready for that one."
The Avs have a 37-13-4 all-time record against Columbus and is 19-7-1 on home ice, including a 10-game home winning streak from Oct. 14, 2000 through March 2, 2006.

Last Time Out

Mikko Rantanen and Rene Bourque each notched a goal and an assist, but the Avalanche fell 5-3 to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Pepsi Center. Nathan MacKinnon registered seven shots to bring his total for the month to 61 and set a new Avalanche record for shots in November.
The Blue Jackets extended their point streak to three games with a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night at Nationwide Arena. Josh Anderson tallied a goal and two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves.

Last Time They Met

Backed by goals from defensemen Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson, the Avs held a 2-1 lead on Columbus in the waning seconds of regulation before Cam Atkinson potted an extra-attacker goal, his second tally of the game, to force overtime. Matt Duchene's OT game-winner then lifted the Avalanche to victory. Semyon Varlamov finished with 40 saves, including three in the extra frame.

What to Watch For

Performance in Close Games
The Avs and the Blue Jackets needed overtime to settle a winner in the first matchup of the season. Colorado has excelled in one-goal games, posting a 7-2-1 record. Its .700 win percentage in one-goal outings is tied for fourth in the league. The Blue Jackets are 5-1-4 in one-goal games this season, a .500 win percentage.
Offenses
The Blue Jackets boast the league's second-ranked offense, which averages 3.19 goals per game. Five different Columbus players have recorded 15 or more points this season, including Cam Atkinson and Alexander Wennberg, who lead the team with 20 points apiece. Wennberg's 15 assists are a team high, while Nick Folingo, Sam Gagner and Atkinson lead the way with eight goals.
The Avs' 2.24 goals-per-game average ranks 29th in the league, but the Colorado offense has been on the upswing, scoring 20 goals over its last seven contests-a 2.86 goals per game average.

Player to Watch

Colorado: Defenseman Erik Johnson
Johnson's 59 blocked shots and 2.8 blocked shots per game rank second and first in the Western Conference, respectively. His nine assists lead all Avalanche defensemen, and his 10 points are tied with Tyson Barrie for tops amongst Avs blueliners.
Columbus: Center Alexander Wennberg
Wennberg is tied for the team lead with 20 points and ranks first in assists. Half of his points have come on the power play, where he's contributed a goal and nine assists. His 10 man-advantage points are tied for second in the league in power-play points.

Lineup Notes

Semyon Varlamov, who has missed time due to an upper-body injury, will make his 16th start of the season and first since a Nov. 23 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. Varlamov is 7-4-1 in his career against the Blue Jackets.
On Wednesday, Gabriel Landeskog was put on injured reserve, retroactive to Nov. 15, and the Avalanche recalled forwards Sam Henley and Gabriel Bourque from the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League, bringing some likely changes to the lineup for Thursday's contest.

The Details

Thursday's game begins at 7 p.m. MT, and tickets are still available. Fans can tune into the action live on Altitude TV or listen on Altitude Sports Radio AM 950 and at ColoradoAvalanche.com.