Eurolanche

Blue Jackets try again against Avs

Season series: The Columbus Blue Jackets and Colorado Avalanche split two games last season, each winning on the road. David Savard scored with 1:01 left in the third period, and Brandon Dubinsky had two goals when Columbus won 4-3 on Jan. 4. Colorado won 4-0 on March 7 when Semyon Varlamov made 44 saves; Jarome Iginla and Gabriel Landeskog scored on the power play.

Blue Jackets (0-8-0) scope: Columbus did not practice Friday, so the morning skate will provide the answer if forward Ryan Johansen will play. He did not for the final 6:10 of John Tortorella's first game as Blue Jackets coach, a 3-2 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday. Tortorella, who replaced Todd Richards on Wednesday, said he liked what he saw despite the loss. "We need to find a way to get a win, but I thought we took a step in the right direction," Tortorella said after the game. "We still need work as far as transferring the puck from our [defensemen] to the forwards quicker."

Avalanche (2-3-1) scope: Colorado players are among those surprised by the Blue Jackets' start. "I don't think it really makes sense how they're 0-8," forward Nathan MacKinnon told the Denver Post. "I don't know what's going on, but we're not going to take them lightly." Defenseman Erik Johnson told the newspaper that Tortorella will turn Columbus around. "They’re obviously going to be hungry for their first win so we expect to get their best game," Johnson said. Varlamov, who lost 1-0 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday, will make his second straight start.

-- by Craig Metz for NHL.com --