Columbus Blue Jackets Staring Down the Barrel: Rocky Mountain High, Colorado
The Columbus Blue Jackets wrap up their two game road trip with a game in Colorado against the surprisingly hot Avs.
The new year is off to a good start for the banged up Columbus Blue Jackets as they beat the Dallas Stars on the first of two games on the road. The much maligned Jackets will look to stay perfect in 2018 as they deal with a rash of injuries.
The Avs are on a surprising run after the Matt Duchene trade that landed Joe Sakic a nice bounty of prospects and picks. Colorado is 8-4-0 in their last twelve and teetering on playoff contention only three points out of eight place with two games in hand.
I had the chance to talk to Colorado Avalanche expert Nadia Archuleta of Mile High Sticking to talk about the Av’s, their season, and tonights game. Nadia’s writing is must read and we appreciate her taking the time to talk about the game tonight.
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Hot Avs
Lansing Murphy (LM): 8-4-0 in your last 12 games. What is going on in Colorado?
Nadia Archuleta (NA): What’s going on in Colorado is that Nathan MacKinnon is emerging as the superstar we all expected him to be. He’s always been fast. Now he’s learned how to vary his speed to confuse opponents. He’s also seeing the game on a whole new level — an elite level.
Additionally, the Avalanche players are either playing with a chip on their shoulder because of last year’s dismal record or the wide-eyed wonder of a rookie because, hey, we ice up to five rookies a night.
LM: Nathan McKinnon is on a tear this year. 5th in points but #1, Nikita Kucherov and #4, Steven Stamkos play on the same line as do #2, Josh Bailey and #3, Jon Tavaras. Does McKinnon deserve some Hart trophy chatter?
NA: Does MacK deserve some Hart trophy chatter? Absolutely! See above answer! But, yes, he has taken over as the on-ice leader of this team.
Avs a Playoff Contender???
LM: The Avs are only three points out of the wild card with games in hand. Can this team keep this up and vie for a playoff spot? If not who else on this team do you think the team trades away, if anyone.
NA: The Colorado Avalanche are in a full rebuild. They got a lot of assets back for one of their best players, Matt Duchene. However, this is not a team built yet for a deep playoff run. If they make it, that’s gravy.
The youngsters can learn what playoff hockey looks like. If they don’t make it, that’s ok. The kids are growing up, and trending up is what we want to see. Right now, before we’ve reached the half-season mark, the Avs have just five fewer points than last season. So the trend is definitely up.
LM: What scares you most about this Columbus Blue Jackets team?
NA: Columbus is a good team. You’ve got a good offense and a great defense. That said, historically the Avs have done well against the CBJ — 34-14-3-1. Granted you were an expansion team for a lot of those years, so it’s tough to truly measure.
LM: How do you see this game playing out tonight?
NA: Games between the two teams are usually pretty close. I’d say both teams are going to be trying to get each other’s mettle. I don’t expect there to be a blowout — but I do think Colorado can win!
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Nadia is clearly wrong about how the game will play out tonight but we appreciate her insight nonetheless. Thanks again Nadia and be sure to check out Mile High Sticking today before the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Colorado Avalanche at 9pm eastern.