The Colorado Avalanche concluded their two-game road trip with an undefeated record. Their latest triumph came Thursday night at Nationwide Arena, where they dictated pace and possession in a 4–1 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets — a performance that showcased both their offensive precision and defensive composure. Cale Makar snipes a shot by Elvis Merzlikins. Scott Wedgewood once again was dominant with 22 saves on the night. Valeri Nichushkin led the offensive charge with a pair of goals, while Cale Makar marked his 400th NHL game with a goal and an assist. Brock Nelson notched his first tally of the season, and captain Gabe Landeskog recorded his first point of the campaign with an assist. Ivan Provorov scored the lone goal for Columbus and netminder Elvis Merzlikins was solid in defeat with a 32-save performance. First Period Early on, Nelson displayed his hand-eye coordination by splitting two defenders and batting a loose puck out of midair before firing a shot just wide of the net. Moments later, Victor Olofsson broke free down the left wing and tested Merzlikins with a sharp wrist shot that was neatly gloved. Artturi Lehkonen nearly broke the deadlock for Colorado, powering through two defenders to get a clean look at Merzlikins, but his attempt ricocheted off the netminder’s right pad. Brent Burns was called for hooking Mathieu Olivier, granting Columbus a power-play opportunity. But much like their 0-for-5 showing on Monday against New Jersey, the Jackets’ man advantage sputtered, managing only a single shot as Colorado’s penalty kill stood tall. Late in the period, Devon Toews nearly capitalized with a wrist shot from the left circle that nicked the top of Merzlikins’ stick before sailing out of play. Second Period Provorov opened the scoring just 1:36 into the frame, snapping a wrister from the left circle that beat Wedgewood cleanly. The play came together after a brutal turnover at the other end of the ice gave Columbus an ample opportunity to make the Avalanche pay, and that’s exactly what they did. From there, Colorado flipped the script in emphatic fashion — a sequence that could only be described as a deflection masterclass. First, in his 400th career game, Makar buried a pinpoint wrist shot off a Martin Nečas feed to even the score. Barely a minute later, Nelson tipped home Burns’ cannon from the point to put the Avalanche ahead 2–1. Then, with just over three seconds left in the period, Nichushkin redirected a Sam Malinski shot to cap a three-goal outburst and send Colorado into the intermission with all the momentum. Third Period Nečas was whistled for hooking Yegor Chinakhov, but Colorado’s penalty killers continued their perfection — even as Wedgewood absorbed a heavy shot from Adam Fantilli that briefly winded him. Dmitri Voronkov’s hold on Makar earned Colorado their first power play of the night, but the Avs couldn’t extend the lead. With eight minutes to play, Colorado maintained a 3–1 advantage and a 29–20 lead in shots. Nichushkin nearly made it a multi-goal night earlier, streaking down the right side and flipping a backhander that Merzlikins denied with the glove. Columbus emptied the net with 3:31 remaining, but the gamble backfired. GLandeskog found Nichushkin racing down the right wing, and the winger tapped in his second of the game — sealing a 4–1 Avalanche victory. Takeaways This was a solid performance that saw a lot of players contribute towards the outcome. Most importantly, we know the offense is the primary strength of this team, but defensively, although there was a turnover that led to the only goal for the Blue Jackets, there were far less turnovers than the previous game against Buffalo. As long as we continue to get better at keeping the puck in our possession, we have a solid foundation. Nečas is now on a five-game point streak. Sign the man. Nothing more needs to be said about that. Columbus had two “goals” nullified and in both cases they involved hand passes. Next Game The Avalanche (4-0-1) return to Ball Arena on Saturday to take on David Pastrňák and the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Puck drop is at 7 p.m. local time.
