Blue Jackets Game #4 Preview: The Union Blue look to get back on track and not be buried by the Colorado Avalanche

The Columbus Blue Jackets return to action on Thursday night from Nationwide Arena as they are set to host the Colorado Avalanche. Puck drop is at 7:00 PM.

You will be able to catch the home team coverage anywhere you can access Fuel Duel Sports Network in your local market, or on the Columbus Blue Jackets radio network. Steve Mears & Jody Shelley will have the TV call as usual, with Bob McElligott set to handle radio play-by-play with Dylan Tyrer hosting.

The CBJ will slump into Thursday's game after a decent showing from Columbus in their even-strength work against the New Jersey Devils on Monday night. But, they once again struggled on special teams.

As of the time of writing, the CBJ have the best Five-on-Five goal differential in the NHL this young season, having outscored their opponents 7 to 1. They struggled again in the other phases of the game against the Devils, however.

They went 0 for 5 on the man advantage and allowed New Jersey to score on both of their power play opportunities within the final five seconds of the penalties ending.

Despite their obvious and well-documented struggles to start the 2025-2026 campaign, there is some room for hope and positivity. Through three games in the young season, goaltending has been a strength.

Both Jet Greaves in his two games of work and Elvis Merzlikins against the Minnesota Wild have stood out, and the Jackets currently sit fifth in the NHL in Save Percentage with a brilliant .928.

Faceoffs, a weakness of the team for several straight seasons, have become a strength with the moves the club made at the center position over the summer. So far this year, they're in fourth place with a significant 56.5% win percentage in the dot as a team. Their goals differential above expected also sits sixth in the league,

How the good guys line up:

The club will look slightly different on Thursday as Dean Evason has tinkered with his lines, due to both the team's inconsistency and Miles Wood's temporary upper-body injury.

Kent Johnson slides up to the first line alongside Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko, while Dmitri Voronkov slides down to join Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger on the second line, bumping down Boone Jenner to complement the big frames of Charlie Coyle and Mathieu Olivier.

Yegor Chinakhov is also finally set to play in his first game of the young season, where he'll play alongside Zach Aston-Reese and Isac Lundestrom on the fourth line.

Elvis Merzlikins will get his first home start of the season:

The Opponents

The Colorado Avalanche once again enter the season as Stanley Cup hopefuls, and they have played to those expectations so far.

They have not lost in regulation through four games, posting a 4-0-1 record. Nathan MacKinnon (4-4-8), Martin Necas (3-5-8), and Cale Makar (1-4-5) lead this elite squad again this year, and the CBJ will have to find some way to slow their offense down to have a shot at winning this one.

The Avalanche is also third in the NHL in goals against, meaning the Jackets will need to replicate the gear that led to their offensive outburst against the Wild on Saturday, or they will be buried in this one quickly.

Scott Wedgewood has looked more-than-serviceable as the apparent starter while MacKenzie Blackwood sits out through the beginning of the season, but it remains to be seen if the Jackets will see him or Trent Miner, who has not played up to this point.

The Avalanche most recently played on the 13th, beating the hapless Buffalo Sabres by a final score of 3 to 1.

Three keys to success.

1. Find your special teams game. Simple: the Blue Jackets need to work out how to play when up or down a man, especially against a team like this.

2. Contain the speed of the Avalanche. This is one area where the Jackets need to show they can keep pace. The Avs are an elite skating team, so keeping up will not be an easy task. They're better off just trying to contain that speed.

3. Find some second chance offense. The Blue Jackets have shown that their rush offense is very good. What's missing are those rebound chances. Getting to the front of the net and banging home a greasy goal tonight would be a big help.

If the Blue Jackets want to make noise tonight, they’ll need to bring both defensive discipline and offensive creativity against one of the league’s most balanced rosters. Colorado’s top line can punish even the slightest lapse, and its defensive structure leaves little room for error.

Update: Scott Wedgewood will be in goal for the Avalanche.

The Jackets must test the Avalanche early and often to avoid chasing the game. Expect a fast-paced, high-stakes battle as Columbus looks to prove it can hang with the NHL’s elite.