Columbus Blue Jackets News

Werenski is battling a lower-body injury and could miss a second consecutive game on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. Already without Sean Monahan (wrist) and Kirill Marchenko (jaw), the Blue Jackets can ill-afford to be without the elite offensive services of Werenski, who is having a Norris trophy caliber season, with 57 points (17G / 40A) in 53 games.

The Blue Jackets have lost two straight (0-2-0) and will hope for a better result on Thursday, with Merzlikins tending the twine against the Utah Hockey Club. Merzlikins has played well lately, posting a .919 SV% in his last eight games (5-3-0). The 30-year-old netminder has a 2.96 GAA and .894 SV% in 35 games this season (19-13-3). Columbus enters Thursday's contest as +140 home underdogs against a Utah team with points in three of their last four (1-1-2).

Werenski is battling a lower-body injury and could miss a second consecutive game on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. Already without Sean Monahan (wrist) and Kirill Marchenko (jaw), the Blue Jackets can ill-afford to be without the elite offensive services of Werenski, who is having a Norris trophy caliber season, with 57 points (17G / 40A) in 53 games.

The Blue Jackets have lost two straight (0-2-0) and will hope for a better result on Thursday, with Merzlikins tending the twine against the Utah Hockey Club. Merzlikins has played well lately, posting a .919 SV% in his last eight games (5-3-0). The 30-year-old netminder has a 2.96 GAA and .894 SV% in 35 games this season (19-13-3). Columbus enters Thursday's contest as +140 home underdogs against a Utah team with points in three of their last four (1-1-2).

The Blue Jackets' three-game winning streak snapped in their most recent outing when Merzlikins allowed five goals on 39 shots (.872 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. Merzlikins will return to the crease on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old Merzlikins has been solid lately, posting a .915 SV% in his last nine games (7-2-0). The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +152 road underdogs against a Sabres team without offensive threat Tage Thompson (upper body).

The Blue Jackets' three-game winning streak snapped in their most recent outing when Merzlikins allowed five goals on 39 shots (.872 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. Merzlikins will likely return to the crease on Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 30-year-old Merzlikins has been solid lately, posting a .915 SV% in his last nine games (7-2-0). The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +152 road underdogs against a Sabres team without offensive threat Tage Thompson (upper body).

An arrant puck hit and broke Marchenko's jaw while he was sitting on the bench in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. No timeline has been provided but the average downtime after a broken jaw is typically six-to-eight weeks. The 24-year-old Marchenko was having a breakout season, scoring 55 points (21G / 34A) in 53 games.

Nichushkin was listed as day-to-day after suffering his injury on January 1st but suffered a setback, downgrading his status to week-to-week. Assuming no further setbacks, Nichushkin will miss five more games before returning against the Nashville Predators on February 22nd when the NHL resumes from its two-week hiatus for the Four Nations tournament. The 29-year-old winger has 11 goals and six assists in 21 games this season.

An arrant puck hit and broke Marchenko's jaw while he was sitting on the bench in Sunday's 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars. The 24-year-old will be out of the lineup indefinitely, a crushing blow of the Blue Jackets' offense. Marchenko was having a breakout season, scoring 55 points (21G / 34A) in 53 games.

Sillinger has not played the previous three games due to an upper-body injury but will re-enter the lineup on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights. The 21-year-old Sillinger is averaging 17:40 time-on-ice and has 23 points (7G / 16A) in 45 games this season.

Nichushkin was listed as day-to-day after suffering his injury on January 1st but suffered a setback last week, downgrading his status to week-to-week. Assuming no further setbacks, Nichushkin will miss five more games before returning against the Nashville Predators on February 22nd when the NHL resumes from its two-week hiatus for the Four Nations tournament. The 29-year-old winger has 11 goals and six assists in 21 games this season.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 3-2 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings when Merzlikins saved 31 of 33 shots (.939 SV%). Merzlikins will return to the crease on Thursday against the Vegas Golden Knights, looking to improve his 2.95 GAA and .894 SV% through 32 games (18-11-3). The 30-year-old netminder has been solid lately, allowing three or fewer goals in six straight (5-1-0), posting a .925 SV%. The Blue Jackets enter the action on Thursday as +252 road underdogs against a Golden Knights team that has lost six of their last eight (2-4-2).