Jenner has not played since November 11th, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators. The 32-year-old Jenner has 30 hits and 10 points (3G / 7A) in 16 games this season. Jenner, usually an effective contributor when healthy, has battled injuries in recent years, playing fewer than 60 games in all but one of his last five seasons. Luca Del Bel Belluz will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Jenner's return.
Elvis Merzlikins again and again proved to be unreliable, allowing four or more goals in five of his last six games (2-3-1), resulting in Greaves returning to the crease on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. The 24-year-old Greaves has undoubtedly been the more reliable netminder for the Blue Jackets, posting a solid 2.71 GAA and .907 SV% in 17 games (7-5-5). He was stellar in his most recent outing, saving 36 of 37 shots (.973 SV%) in a 2-0 loss to the Washington Capitals. Still, the Blue Jackets enter Tuesday’s contest as +173 road underdogs against a Carolina Hurricanes team that has only scored one goal in three of their last four games (2-2-0).
With Evgeni Malkin (upper body) and Blake Lizotte (undisclosed) placed on Injured Reserve, Pittsburgh has recalled Danton Heinen and Samuel Poulin from Wilkes-Barre Scranton (AHL). The 30-year-old Heinen is an NHL veteran of 575 games, but has spent most of the 2025-26 season in the AHL, where he has 18 points (6G / 12A) in 12 games.
Luca Del Bel Belluz will draw back into the Blue Jackets' lineup on Thursday, resulting in Aston-Reese being a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Aston-Reese has three assists and 41 hits in 17 games this season.
Zach Aston-Reese will be a healthy scratch on Thursday, allowing Del Bel Belluz to re-enter the lineup against the Detroit Red Wings. The 22-year-old forward averaged 9:35 time-on-ice and scored one assist in seven games with Columbus last month.
Jenner has not played since November 11th, but has practiced the past few days, and could return to the lineup as soon as this weekend. The 32-year-old Jenner has 30 hits and 10 points (3G / 7A) in 16 games this season. Jenner, usually an effective contributor when healthy, has battled injuries in recent years, playing fewer than 60 games in all but one of his last five seasons.
Marchenko has not played in the last several games and has been sidelined since November 22nd due to a upper-body injury, but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. The 25-year-old Marchenko looks to add to his 22 points (8G / 14A) through 22 games, a career-best pace, when he returns to a familiar place on the Blue Jackets' top-six and top powerplay unit.
The Blue Jackets have leaned heavily on Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but will turn to Merzlikins on Thursday in a rare consecutive start for the Latvian goalie after a solid 30-save performance (.909 SV%) in Monday's 5-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has a subpar 3.50 GAA and .895 SV% in 10 games (5-5-0) this season. He has not had a sub-3.00 GAA since the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -114 home favorites against a Detroit Red Wings team coming off a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins.
Pinelli has seen reasonable deployment since making his NHL debut last week, averaging 13:46 time-on-ice in three games. That said, he is returning to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL), indicating that Kirill Marchenko (lower body) may be ready to return to the Blue Jackets' lineup.
Marchment did not practice on Tuesday, originally questionable for Thursday's game against the Edmonton Oilers, but will not travel with the team. Marchment has been more productive lately for the Kraken and will be a big loss for a team that struggles generating offense. The 30-year-old Marchment has six points (1G / 5A) in his last eight games and 11 points (2G / 9A) in 23 outings this season.
Olivier only played six shifts in last Monday's 5-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, exiting the game with an upper-body injury, and has been sidelined since. The 28-year-old Olivier had 71 hits, 44 penalty minutes, and nine points (3G / 6A) in 23 games this season.
Del Bel Belluz was a lineup-regular for the Blue Jackets in early November before his return to the AHL. The 22-year-old forward averaged 9:35 time-on-ice and scored one assist in seven games with Columbus.
Marchment has been more productive lately for the Kraken and would be a big loss if he can not play on Thursday against the Edmonton Oilers. The 30-year-old Marchment has six points (1G / 5A) in his last eight games and 11 points (2G / 9A) in 23 outings this season.
Merzlikins has taken a backseat to Jet Greaves in recent weeks, but the Latvian netminder will return to the crease on Monday against the New Jersey Devils. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has lost four straight contests (0-4-0), allowing three or more goals in each. The Blue Jackets rank mid-pack in the league defensively (3.28 GA/GP), but have struggled with Merzlikins, who has an ugly 3.55 GAA and .894 SV% in nine games this season (4-5-0). The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest as +124 road underdogs against a Devils team that defeated them 3-2 earlier this season.
The Blue Jackets have hovered around .500 all season, yet to assert dominance, but have managed to stay in games despite losing six of their last 10 (4-2-4). Greaves played well for the Blue Jackets on Wednesday, saving 22 of 24 shots (.917 SV%) in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and has become the go-to-guy between the pipes for the team. The 24-year-old goalie has a 2.74 GAA and .905 SV% in 15 games this season (7-4-4). The Blue Jackets enter Friday's contest as -132 home favorites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team that has lost seven of their last 10 (3-4-3).
