Columbus Blue Jackets News

The Blue Jackets' new Head Coach Rick Bowness continues to show his trust in Elvis Merzlikins, who will return to the crease for the fifth time in eight games since the coaching change. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie has also played better with his uptick in deployment, posting a 2.63 GAA and .907 SV% in his last four outings (3-1-0). The Blue Jackets enter the action on Friday as -147 road favourites against a Chicago Blackhawks team on a four-game losing streak (0-2-2).

Injuries awarded Gaunce the opportunity to play 25 games with Columbus this season, his highest total since the 2021-22 campaign. The 31-year-old forward averaged 11:54 time-on-ice and scored six points (2G / 4A) with Columbus before being placed on waivers and ultimately returning to the AHL.

Aston-Reese started the season with Cleveland (AHL), but injuries afforded him the opportunity to play with the Blue Jackets. The 31-year-old bottom-six forward scored five points (1G / 4A) with Columbus before being placed on waivers and ultimately returning to the AHL.

Merzlikins has not played in over a week but has seen more action lately, after playing only three times in the previous month. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has played better since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' new Head Coach, saving 64 of 70 shots (.914 SV%) in three games (2-1-0), but consistency has been a significant issue for the Latvian goalie. The Blue Jackets enter Wednesday's contest as -135 home favorites against a Philadelphia Flyers team that is coming off a 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders.

Mateychuk has been sidelined for over two weeks because of an upper-body injury, but he will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 21-year-old defenseman is having an excellent season, playing predominantly alongside Zach Werenski, averaging 20:20 time-on-ice and scoring 21 points (8G / 13A) through 44 games.

Mateychuk has been sidelined for over two weeks because of an upper-body injury, but he will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers. The 21-year-old defenseman is having an excellent season, playing predominantly alongside Zach Werenski, averaging 20:20 time-on-ice and scoring 21 points (8G / 13A) through 44 games.

With Dento Mateychuk (upper body) returning from a two-week absence, Christiansen will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 26-year-old Christiansen is averaging 10:17 time-on-ice and has two assists in 31 games this season.

Mateychuk has been sidelined for over two weeks because of an upper-body injury, but he will return to the lineup on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 21-year-old defenseman is having an excellent season, playing predominantly alongside Zach Werenski, averaging 20:20 time-on-ice and scoring 21 points (8G / 13A) through 44 games.

Jet Greaves started two consecutive games for Columbus, but the team will revert to Merzlikins on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The 31-year-old Merzlikins has played better since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' new Head Coach, saving 64 of 70 shots (.914 SV%) in three games (2-1-0), but consistency has been a major issue for the Latvian goalie. The Blue Jackets enter Monday's contest with even -105 odds at home against a Kings team with points in five straight games (2-0-3).

After playing two consecutive games for the Blue Jackets, Aston-Reese will exit the lineup as a healthy scratch. The 31-year-old Aston-Reese has five points (1G / 4A) in 26 games this season.

Greaves had a heavy workload before Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' Head Coach and seemingly took a liking to Elvis Merzlikins, but he will return to the crease on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. Despite the lack of action lately, the 24-year-old Greaves has been solid the past few weeks, posting a 2.54 GAA and .915 SV% in his last 11 games (6-4-1). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's game as +106 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars team coming off a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

Gaunce has been a regular in the Blue Jackets' lineup lately, but he will be a healthy scratch after a -2 performance on Tuesday. The 31-year-old Gaunce has six points (2G / 4A) in 25 games this season.

Greaves had a heavy workload before Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' Head Coach and seemingly took a liking to Elvis Merzlikins, but he will return to the crease on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. Despite the lack of action lately, the 24-year-old Greaves has been solid the past few weeks, posting a 2.54 GAA and .915 SV% in his last 11 games (6-4-1). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's game as +106 home underdogs against a Dallas Stars team coming off a 6-2 win over the Boston Bruins.

Merzlikins has seen an increased workload since Rick Bowness took over as the Blue Jackets' head coach, seemingly regaining the trust of the coaching staff, but he was absent from practice on Wednesday because of an illness. The 31-year-old Latvian goalie has a 2.04 GAA and .914 SV% in three games since the coaching chance (2-1-0). It's unclear if Merzlikins will be ready with Columbus returns to action on Thursday against the Dallas Stars.

Lundestrom has not played in over four week because of a lower-body injury, but should return to the lineup on Thursday against the Dallas Stars. He has five points (1G / 4A) in 35 games this season.

Marchment has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on January 4th, but returned to practice on Wednesday, indicating an imminent return to the lineup. The 30-year-old was having an excellent start to his Blue Jackets tenure after being traded there in December from the Seattle Kraken, scoring seven points (5G / 2A) in his first seven games.

Lundestrom has not played in over four week because of a lower-body injury, but appears to be nearing an imminent return after being activated from Injured Reserve. He has five points (1G / 4A) in 35 games this season.