The Columbus Blue Jackets left Denver without answers Saturday night, falling 4–0 to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Despite stretches of competitive play and solid goaltending from Elvis Merzlikins, Columbus was unable to generate enough offense or capitalize on key moments, extending its losing streak and continuing a frustrating road trip.
Game Summary
The Colorado Avalanche earned a 4–0 shutout victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday night at Ball Arena, extending their home point streak to 21 games and continuing their dominance on home ice. Notably, Colorado managed the win without Nathan MacKinnon or Cale Makar recording a point, underscoring the depth and balance that has defined their season.
Colorado opened the scoring at 13:58 of the first period when defenseman Brent Burns snapped a rebound past Elvis Merzlikins for his seventh goal of the season. The Avalanche doubled their lead late in the period at 17:28, as Victor Olofsson scored his eighth of the year on a backhand while cutting through the slot, sending Colorado into the intermission up 2–0.
The Blue Jackets showed pushback in the second period, outshooting Colorado 13–7 and generating some of their best offensive looks of the night. However, Columbus was unable to solve Trent Miner, and a defensive-zone breakdown proved costly. At 10:30, Ilya Solovyov scored his first NHL goal with a wrist shot from above the left circle, extending the Avalanche lead to 3–0.
Burns sealed the game at 8:33 of the third period, scoring his second goal of the night and eighth of the season on a point shot that deflected and fluttered past Merzlikins. The goal capped a controlled third period for Colorado, which limited Columbus to nine shots and never allowed the game to shift momentum.
Trent Miner finished with 29 saves to earn his first NHL win and shutout, while Merzlikins stopped 27 shots in the loss. Despite holding Colorado scoreless on the power play and killing all penalties, Columbus struggled to generate sustained offense at five-on-five.
The loss continued a difficult road stretch for the Blue Jackets, who have now dropped four straight games and remain unable to find consistency away from Nationwide Arena. Meanwhile, Colorado’s ability to dominate at home — even on nights when its top stars are kept off the scoresheet — continues to separate the Avalanche from the rest of the league.
Inside of the Locker Room:
Despite the lopsided score, Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason pointed to several positives in his team’s overall effort, particularly defensively against one of the NHL’s elite lineups.
“I know it sounds crazy when you lose 4–0, but we saw a lot of good things,” Evason said. “We checked really well against their top players. Did we make mistakes? Sure. But there were areas of our game that we can build on, especially against a team that has as much firepower as Colorado.”
Evason also made a point to praise goaltender Elvis Merzlikins, who faced steady pressure throughout the night and kept the game competitive early.
“I thought Elvis was really good,” Evason said. “He was screened on a couple of goals, made some big stops, and held us in there. They’ve got a lot of firepower, and he made some key saves when we needed them.”
Game Stats
| Stat | Blue Jackets | Avalanche |
| Shots on Goal | 29 | 31 |
| Goals | 0 | 4 |
| Faceoff Win % | 46.8% | 53.2% |
| Power Play | 0/2 | 0/2 |
| Penalty Minutes | 4 | 4 |
| Hits | 18 | 6 |
| Blocked Shots | 22 | 17 |
| Giveaways | 14 | 10 |
| Takeaways | 2 | 3 |
3 Stars of the Game
T. Miner
#50 • COL • Goalie
GAA: 0.00 | SV%: 1.000
B. Burns
#84 • COL • Defenseman
G: 2 | A: 0 | P: 2
I. Solovyov
#28 • COL • Defenseman
G: 1 | A: 0 | P: 1
My Takeaway
The Columbus Blue Jackets’ biggest issue this season continues to be inconsistency. Saturday’s loss marked the fourth time this year the team has suffered a four-game losing streak, a troubling pattern that has kept them from gaining any real momentum.
This road trip only reinforced those concerns. Columbus dropped all three games away from home and now heads into the final stop in Utah still searching for answers. Special teams remain a major problem. The Blue Jackets have now gone eight straight games without a power-play goal — a critical weakness in a league where special teams often decide the outcome.
Defensively, the struggles are piling up. Columbus has allowed 19 goals over its last four games while scoring just nine, putting constant pressure on its goaltending and leaving little margin for error. Against Colorado, the gap was clear. The Avalanche controlled the game from the opening faceoff to the final horn, dictating pace and execution in all three zones.
Saturday’s loss also marked the second time this season the Blue Jackets were shut out, another indicator of the team’s offensive inconsistency. Too often, strong stretches are followed by long lapses, and at this level, that simply isn’t sustainable.
If Columbus wants to climb out of the bottom of both the Eastern Conference and its division, the solution is clear: play a full 60 minutes every night, clean up the defensive structure, and find production on the power play. Until that happens, the results are unlikely to change.
Next Game
The Columbus Blue Jackets continue their road trip on Sunday, January 11, when they face the Utah Mammoth in Utah.
Puck drop: 7:00 PM EDT.
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