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Blue Jackets-Avalanche Preview

Feb 1, 2010 - 5:50 PM By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN STATS Senior Writer

Columbus (22-26-9) at Colorado (30-18-6), 9:00 p.m. EDT

Last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets swept the Colorado Avalanche en route to gaining their first playoff berth. Colorado is poised to return the favor.

The Avalanche look to complete a sweep of the Blue Jackets and avoid a season-high fourth straight loss Tuesday night at the Pepsi Center.

Columbus (22-26-9) took all four meetings with Colorado (30-18-6) for the first time in 2008-09, helping the Blue Jackets reach the postseason while the Avalanche finished with the lowest point total in the Western Conference.

Before last season, Colorado was 23-3-1 with one tie against Columbus. The Avalanche have recaptured that dominance in the head-to-head series, winning the first three matchups of 2009-10.

Colorado is seeking a 15th win in 18 home games against Columbus as it tries to break out of a scoring slump. The Avalanche have scored three goals during their three-game slide.

Colorado lost 3-1 at home to the New York Rangers on Sunday, going 0 for 6 on the power play as it failed to score with the man advantage for the third straight contest. Cody McLeod's third-period goal allowed the Avalanche to avoid a second shutout in three games.

"We know we've got to pick it up," center Paul Stastny said. "We can't get frustrated. We just gotta sometimes simplify the game and just go from there."

The Avalanche allowed Marian Gaborik to record a hat trick for a Rangers team that snapped a five-game losing streak.

"I don't know if we were ready for them at the start," McLeod said. "I think that was our motto, to be ready for them at the start. But we weren't and I think that's (how) the final score showed up."

Columbus has alternated wins and losses in its last seven games, beating St. Louis 3-2 in overtime Saturday. Kris Russell scored the winner after the Blue Jackets allowed an equalizer by Andy McDonald with 1:35 left in regulation.

"We just got to keep playing and working hard," Russell said. "If we play like that, good things are going to happen."

Derek Dorsett and Fedor Tyutin also scored and Mathieu Garon was successful in his first start since Jan. 19 with 25 saves.

"We're grinding it and we'll see where we go," coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We kept going. We're trying to keep ourselves up and keep fighting. We're not going to skill our way into this (playoff race). We're going to claw our way in it."

The Blue Jackets hope to have Kristian Huselius available after he and defensemen Anton Stralman and Milan Jurcina missed Saturday's game with the flu. Huselius is second on the team with 43 points.

It is unclear whether Garon or Steve Mason will start. The struggling Mason is 0-3-0 with a 4.42 goals-against average against the Avalanche this season.