Johnson will draw back into the Blue Jackets lineup in place of Boone Jenner, who is out with an undisclosed injury. The former fifth-overall pick is in the midst of a disappointing season, logging six goals and 12 assists across 56 games.
Jenner was a surprise scratch on Tuesday, with the team not announcing his absence prior to warmups. Kent Johnson will dress in his place.
Werenski is battling an illness and will miss a second straight game on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old defenseman had two assists in his most recent game, giving him 13 points (2G / 11A) during a nine-game point streak. He has 65 points (20G / 45A) in 54 games this season.
The Blue Jackets have more heavily relied on Elvis Merzlikins in recent weeks, but they will turn to Greaves in the tail end of a back-to-back, on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old Greaves struggled in his return from the Olympic break, allowing four goals on 26 shots (.846 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Greaves will hope to return to the form he was showcasing before the league stoppage, when he had a tremendous 2.10 GAA and .923 SV% during a six-game winning streak. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -136 home favourites against a Predators team that lost 4-2 yesterday to the Detroit Red Wings.
Werenski is battling an illness and did not play on Monday, but could still be an option on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 28-year-old defenseman had two assists in his most recent game, giving him 13 points (2G / 11A) during a nine-game point streak. He has 65 points (20G / 45A) in 54 games this season.
The Blue Jackets have more heavily relied on Elvis Merzlikins in recent weeks, but they will turn to Greaves in the tail end of a back-to-back, on Thursday against the Nashville Predators. The 24-year-old Greaves struggled in his return from the Olympic break, allowing four goals on 26 shots (.846 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime loss to the New York Islanders. Greaves will hope to return to the form he was showcasing before the league stoppage, when he had a tremendous 2.10 GAA and .923 SV% during a six-game winning streak. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -136 home favourites against a Predators team that lost 4-2 yesterday to the Detroit Red Wings.
Zamula will slot in for Zach Weresnki, who is out with an illness. Zamula has appeared in ten games for the Jackets since being acquired from the Flyers earlier this season, logging zero goals and one assist.
Werenski is battling an illness, and will be unavailable for Monday's game against the New York Rangers. The 28-year-old defenseman had two assists in his most recent game, giving him 13 points (2G / 11A) during a nine-game point streak. He has 65 points (20G / 45A) in 54 games this season.
Werenski is battling an illness, and his status for Monday's game against the New York Rangers is uncertain. The 28-year-old defenseman had two assists in his most recent game, giving him 13 points (2G / 11A) during a nine-game point streak. He has 65 points (20G / 45A) in 54 games this season.
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 22 shots (.864 SV%) in his return from the Olympic break, a 4-2 loss to the Boston Bruins, ending a three-game winning streak. That said, the 31-year-old Latvian goalie has been reliable since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets’ new Head Coach, posting a solid 2.19 GAA and .916 SV% in seven outings (5-2-0). The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest as -119 road favourites against a New York Rangers team that has scored two or fewer goals in five of their last six games (1-4-1).
Marchenko did not play the last couple of games for the Blue Jackets heading into the Olympic break due to a lower-body injury, but he will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. The 25-year-old Marchenko scored a career-high 74 points (31G / 43A) in 79 games last season, and has followed up this season, producing at a similar rate, with 46 points (19G / 27A) through 50 games.
Merzlikins was relied upon heavily after Rick Bowness took over as Head Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and he will return to the crease in their first game back from the Olympic break. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie was showcasing his most consistent goaltending in several seasons before the break, winning five of his last six outings (5-1-0), posting a tremendous 2.03 GAA and .924 SV%. The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as slight -104 road underdogs against a Boston Bruins team that entered the league stoppage on a 4-0-3 run.
Marchenko has been sidelined since January 31st due to a lower-body injury but he skated on his own on Wednesday and is expected to rejoin Columbus for a full practice on Saturday. The 25-year-old has been one of the Blue Jackets' best forwards yet again this season, with 19 goals, 46 points and 152 SOG in 50 games played in 2025-26.
Berni was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the tournament, but he'll replace Andrea Glauser (concussion) in the lineup on Sunday. Berni, a former Columbus Blue Jacket, has two goals and seven assists (nine points) in 44 games with Geneve Servette (National League) this season.
Merzlikins had a tough start to the season, but has settled in since the Blue Jackets made a coaching change. Overall, he's 11-8-1 with a 3.49 GAA and .888 SV% in 21 games. The last time he suited up for Latvia, he struggled, going 2-2-0 with a 4.80 GAA and .826 SV% at the 2024 World Championships.
