Gaudreau missed the last two games with a lower-body injury, but his return to practice on Wednesday suggests that he'll be back in the lineup vs. the Wild on Thursday. Gaudreau. Was starting to heat up before he got hurt, picking up 14 points (4G / 10A) in his previous 15 games.
Merzlikins stopped 26 of 29 shots (.897 SV%) to snap a three-game losing streak with a victory over the Toronto Maple Leaf's last start. The 28-year-old has a historically bad SV% this season, ranking bottom-five all-time with his .871 SV%, leading to his 6-14-0 record and 4.34 GAA. He will face the New Jersey Devils, who had a three-game winning streak snapped after a 3-2 shootout loss to Minnesota last game and are fourth in the NHL in shots per game (34.1).
Harris has a goal, 10 assists, 48 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus through 47 games this season and has agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $2.8 Million ($1.4 Million AAV) with the Montreal Canadiens. The deal will make the 22-year-old a Canadien until at least the end of the 2024-25 season.
Berni was returned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) for the NHL all-star break where he has a goal, three assists, 12 PIMs and a -1 plus/minus but will head back to the Blue Jackets Thursday. In 28 games with Columbus this season, he has a goal, 30 SOG, 18 PIMs and a -17 plus/minus.
Christiansen has two assists, 21 SOG, four PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 18 games but will be a healthy scratch Tuesday as Columbus takes on Washington. Marcus Bjork will replace him in the Blue Jackets lineup.
Bjork hasn't played for the Blue Jackets since January 10th but will draw back into the lineup as a replacement for Jake Christiansen Tuesday. The 25-year-old has three goals, eight assists, 29 SOG, 24 PIMs and a -5 plus/minus through 26 games so far this season.
Chinakhov has been out since Dec. 19th due to an ankle injury but was skating for the first time at practice Tuesday. The 21-year-old winger has four goals, nine assists, 44 SOG and 10 PIMs through 30 games prior to his injury.
Tarasov was 2-9-1 with a 3.28 GAA and .908 SV% but has been re-assigned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). Tarasov will be looking to improve on his ugly AHL stats with his return, as he had a 2-2-0 record, .850 SV% and 4.29 GAA prior to his promotion to Columbus.
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) for his fifth loss in six starts as he was defeated by the New York Rangers in his previous game. The 28-year-old has been one of the league's worst goaltenders, with his 5-12-0 record, 4.44 GAA and .869 SV%. He will face the Anaheim Ducks, who are in the middle of a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia last game.
Merzlikins allowed three goals on 33 shots (.909 SV%) for his fifth loss in six starts as he was defeated by the New York Rangers in his previous game. The 28-year-old has been one of the league's worst goaltenders, with his 5-12-0 record, 4.44 GAA and .869 SV%. He will face the Anaheim Ducks, who are in the middle of a five-game losing skid after a 5-2 loss to Philadelphia last game.
Sillinger has been a healthy scratch for the Blue Jackets' previous two games but will draw back into the lineup Tuesday vs. the Predators. The 19-year-old has struggled to catch his footing this season, with two goals, five assists, 49 SOG and a -8 plus/minus through 38 games this season.
Tarasov surrendered four goals on 20 shots in the Blue Jackets' loss in Chicago on December 23rd. Tarasov has lost five straight in regulation, allowing a combined 16 goals on 158 shots (.899 SV%). In 12 appearances this season, Tarasov has gone 2-8-1 with a .907 SV% this season. Tonight he'll face a Predators team that has won five of their last eight while averaging 3.3 goals for per game.
Merzlikins stopped 25 of 28 shots (.892 SV%) to snap a four-game losing streak as he defeated Detroit in his previous start. The 28-year-old has been one of the league's worst netminders this season, as shown by his 4.52 GAA, .867 SV% and 5-11-0 record. He will face the New York Rangers, who just lost 2-1 to Montreal on Sunday but are eighth in the NHL in shots per game (32.9).
