- Avalanche 9-5-1 · 19 pts · 4th West · 2nd Central Division · W3
- Blue Jackets 5-7-0 · 10 pts · 16th East · 8th Metropolitan Division · L2
Game day
Puck dropWho's playing
The line
| Market | AZMango | |
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | COL -125 CBJ +105 | COL -114 CBJ +114 fair |
| Puck line | COL -1.5 (+195) | COL covers 31% |
| Total goals | 6.5 | 6.5 · over 50% |
Line: , ESPN. Odds move; check a book before acting. In hockey the moneyline carries the market's view; the puck line is almost always 1.5 goals, with the price doing the work.
5,000 simulated games
- Expected goals
- CBJ 3.1, COL 3.4
- 8 in 10 games
- COL by 3 to CBJ by 3
- Tied after 60 minutes
- 22%
Advantages Why Avalanche can win
- In goal: Scott Wedgewood (Avalanche confirmed starter, 0.889 save percentage in 4 starts) has been the better goalie lately than Cam Talbot (Blue Jackets confirmed starter, 0.893 save percentage in 5 starts), worth about 0.46 goals a game in our ratings.
- Goal differential per game: Avalanche 4th (+1.20), Blue Jackets 27th (-0.83) of 32.
- Recent form: average goal margin over the last five games, Avalanche +1.6, Blue Jackets -1.0.
- Season-long ratings: betting lines have rated Avalanche about 0.32 goals a game stronger over recent games.
- Team matchup: where Avalanche can take advantage. Their finishing (3rd of 32) meets the Blue Jackets goaltending (20th), so look for them to bury the chances they get. And their scoring (1st of 32) meets the Blue Jackets goal prevention (17th): a chance to turn chances into goals against a team that gives them up.
- Star matchup: Best skater against best skater, Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche: 9 G, 16 A in 15 games, 21 min a night) has the edge on Kent Johnson (Blue Jackets: 7 G, 5 A in 12 games, 18 min a night); on defense, Cale Makar (Avalanche: 3 G, 13 A in 14 games, 23 min a night) has the edge on Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets: 0 G, 10 A in 12 games, 29 min a night).
- The betting market agrees: Avalanche 53% to win on the moneyline, after removing the sportsbooks' margin.
Disadvantages Why Avalanche may not
- Back-to-back: Avalanche played last night, Blue Jackets did not. Teams on the second night win less often, and often start their backup goalie.
- Home ice: Blue Jackets play at home, with the last line change; home teams win about 54% of NHL games.
- Due to cool off? Avalanche rank 3rd of 32 in shooting plus save percentage (1036); numbers that high usually drift back toward 1,000.
- Strength of schedule: Blue Jackets 6th (+0.14), Avalanche 28th (-0.10) of 32.
- Team matchup: Blue Jackets have no clear unit-against-unit edge, so their path runs through a hot goalie, special teams and a few lucky bounces.
- Star matchup: the key positions lean Avalanche on paper, but Kent Johnson (7 G, 5 A in 12 games, 18 min a night) is the kind of player who can swing one game.
- Upset odds: Blue Jackets win 2,340 of 5,000 simulations (47%). A 53% pick still loses about 5 times in 10. About 22% of the simulations went past regulation.
In goal
COL Avalanche
- ConfirmedScott Wedgewood0.889 save %, 4 starts, -2.0 goals saved above average
CBJ Blue Jackets
- ConfirmedCam Talbot0.893 save %, 5 starts, -1.7 goals saved above average
"Confirmed" and "Expected" are ESPN's. Starters are usually named at the morning skate or in warmups; until then we expect the team's usual starter, or the backup on the second night of a back-to-back.
🥭 Mango Sliced Facts
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Team news
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Headlines from ESPN and CBS Sports, each linked to the full story. Injuries, lineups, suspensions and coaching news come first. We leave out rumors, gossip about players' private lives and betting promos.
Who's out
COL Avalanche
- Nobody listed out or questionable.
CBJ Blue Jackets
- Nobody listed out or questionable.
Regulars who sat out a team's last game count as likely out (box scores). Also checked: who played in recent games, ESPN team rosters, ESPN and CBS Sports news. Players out or doubtful are never counted as a strength.
Side by sideStandings
| COL | CBJ | |
|---|---|---|
| 9-5-1 | Record | 5-7-0 |
| +1.20 4 | Goal differential/game | -0.83 27 |
| 4.27 1 | Goals per game | 2.42 29 |
| 3.07 12 | Goals allowed | 3.25 17 |
| 52.5% 10 | Shot share | 48.7% 19 |
| 30.5 4 | Shots per game | 25.4 26 |
| 27.5 16 | Shots allowed | 26.8 13 |
| 14.0% 3 | Shooting % | 9.5% 29 |
| 0.896 13 | Save % | 0.888 20 |
| 0.67 14 | Power-play goals/game | 0.33 30 |
| 8.1 7 | Penalty minutes/game | 8.3 8 |
| 56.6% 15 | Faceoffs won | 59.6% 3 |
| -0.10 28 | Strength of schedule | +0.14 6 |
Small numbers are ranks among the 32 NHL teams (1 = best). Records are wins, regulation losses and overtime or shootout losses. Strength of schedule is the average rating of opponents faced, in goals (2026-27 season).
Last 5 meetings
- Blue Jackets 0 @ Avalanche 4Jan 10, 2026
- Avalanche 4 @ Blue Jackets 1Oct 16, 2025
- Avalanche 7 @ Blue Jackets 3Apr 3, 2025
- Blue Jackets 6 @ Avalanche 4Oct 12, 2024
- Avalanche 1 @ Blue Jackets 4Apr 1, 2024
Your pick
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What changed
Nothing since our first call ().
Based on market line + adjustments. How it works
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