The Columbus Blue Jackets (0-1) travel to face off against the Colorado Avalanche (0-1-0) on Saturday, October 12th. This game will be played at Ball Arena in Denver and televised on ESPN+. Both the Blue Jackets and Avalanche will be looking to bounce back from losses in their previous games. Puck drop is scheduled for 9:00 ET.
Blue Jackets vs Avalanche
The Columbus Blue Jackets Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
Columbus dropped their season opener with a 3-2 loss to the Wild. The Blue Jackets were underdogs on the puck line, and the total was set at 6.5 goals, but the combined score of 5 fell short of that mark.
After falling behind 1-0 in the first period, the Blue Jackets tied it up at 2:00 in the second with a goal from Kent Johnson. The Wild responded with two more goals before Zach Werenski scored for Columbus at 2:54 in the third period. With the loss, the Blue Jackets are now 0-1 on the season.
The Colorado Avalanche Look To Bounce Back From A Loss
The Avalanche fell to 0-1-0 after an 8-4 loss to the Golden Knights. The total for the game was set at 6.5 goals, and the teams combined for 12, easily surpassing that mark. Colorado, as the underdog on the puck line, failed to cover.
Colorado held an early lead, but their defense struggled throughout. Mikko Rantanen scored first for the Avalanche at 10:48 in the first period, but the Golden Knights responded with eight unanswered goals.
Columbus Offense Breakdown
Kent Johnson netted his first goal of the season, while Zach Werenski followed with his own, scoring on a power play at 17:06 in the 3rd period. Werenski took 7 shots on goal, while Johnson added 4 and picked up an assist on Werenski’s goal.
Columbus fired 33 shots on goal but struggled with 15 giveaways. Their first goal came at the 18:00 mark in the 2nd period.
Avalanche Offense Breakdown
Mikko Rantanen led the Avalanche’s offense with a hat trick, scoring his first goal of the season at 9:12 in the first period. He added his second goal at 15:45 in the second period and completed the hat trick at 13:01 in the third. Rantanen took 6 shots on goal in the game.
Casey Mittelstadt also found the net for Colorado, scoring his first goal of the season at 17:32 in the second period. The Avalanche took 32 shots on goal and recorded 16 giveaways.
Columbus Team Defense
Defensively, the Blue Jackets will look to improve after allowing the first goal just 2:09 into the first period and another at 17:51. They also conceded a power-play goal at 9:58 in the third, which proved to be the game-winner for the Wild. Goalie Elvis Merzlikins made 23 saves with a save percentage of 88.5%. The Blue Jackets’ defense finished with 20 hits and 1 takeaway.
Colorado Team Defense
Despite taking a 1-0 lead, Colorado’s defense struggled, allowing Vegas to tie the game at 1-1 and then score two more late in the first period. The Avalanche pulled within 5-4 in the third, but their defense gave up three more goals, including an empty-netter. Alexandar Georgiev made 11 saves with a 68.8% save percentage.
Blue Jackets vs Avalanche Trends
- Across their ten previous road games, Columbus has an puck line mark of 3-7. Their straight up record in these matchups was 0-10 while averaging 1 goals per game.
- When looking at their past ten home matchups, Colorado has an puck line record of 5-5 while averaging 3 per game. The team went 5-5 overall in these games.
- Spanning across their last ten games as the betting underdog, the Avalanche have gone 5-5 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 4-6.
- In their last three games as the betting favorite, the Blue Jackets have a strong straight up record of 3-0. In addition, their puck line record was 2-1 in these scenarios.
Blue Jackets vs Avalanche Prediction
When thinking about a moneyline wager in this game, our evaluation indicates that the Avalanche will take down the Blue Jackets. Nonetheless, given the current odds of -338, I’d recommend getting bet down on the puck line instead, as our predictions point to the Avalanche winning by more than one goal.
For a puck line prediction, our preference is the Avalanche to secure a win and cover. Anticipate the Avalanche to win this one by multiple goals over the Blue Jackets.
For those assessing the over/under line set at 6.5 goals, our expectation is that this game will stay below that mark, and we suggest making a bet on the under.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:October 12, 2024 Avalanche, Blue Jackets