Columbus Blue Jackets defeat Colorado Avalanche 7-2

Former Avalanche standouts spark 7-2 rout as Colorado falls flat in Columbus

The Colorado Avalanche dropped a 7-2 decision to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a lopsided road defeat that highlighted persistent defensive frailties and inconsistent effort.

Valeri Nichushkin and Charlie Coyle combined for three goals and six points on the evening, punishing their former team as the Blue Jackets built an insurmountable advantage. The trouble began early for the visitors, echoing the previous night’s slow start in Chicago. Mathieu Olivier opened the scoring just 28 seconds into the game, and Ivan Provorov extended the lead to 2-0 with a power-play goal seven minutes later.

Colorado responded briefly when Cale Makar netted his fourth goal of the season off a backdoor feed from Nathan MacKinnon, cutting the deficit to 2-1 at the first intermission. However, the second period unraveled quickly for the Avalanche defense. Jake Christiansen pushed the lead back to two before Cole Sillinger capitalized on a messy rebound left by goaltender Scott Wedgewood to make it 4-1.

Columbus Blue Jackets defeat Colorado Avalanche 7-2 — Photo: staging-aws.sports.yahoo.com

Bednar pulls Wedgewood as former players pad the lead

Trailing by three, Bednar pulled Wedgewood in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood to jump-start his bench. The change backfired as defensive breakdowns continued to plague the visitors. Coyle found the net, and Nichushkin drove past the defense before sliding a backhand past Blackwood, a sequence that delighted Avs fans.

Nazem Kadri managed a power-play goal during a 5-on-3 advantage for Colorado, but the frame ended with Columbus firmly ahead 6-2. Coyle added his second goal of the night in the third period after the Avalanche defense essentially stopped challenging him, cementing the 7-2 final score.

Amid the defensive collapse, defenseman Sam Malinski provided a rare bright spot. Malinski picked up another point while the game remained competitive, marking his fifth point in the last five games. His recent resurgence coincides with shifting defensive pairings following Josh Manson’s departure from the lineup.

The loss leaves Colorado grappling with wild swings in performance from game to game. Just as the team appears to correct structural weaknesses, another disjointed showing surfaces to cloud the evaluation of their true competitive standing.

Looking ahead to Nashville

The Avalanche return home to prepare for a rematch against the Nashville Predators on Thursday, November 5, 2026, with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 p.m. MT.