Gudbranson was placed on IR earlier in the week and underwent successful shoulder surgery on Monday but is without a timetable to return. The 32-year-old is in his 14th NHL season and third with Columbus but had failed to pick up a point in three games prior to his injury.
Lundestrom has not played since exiting last Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Utah Hockey Club after playing 11:18 time-on-ice, missing the last two contests. The 24-year-old Lundestrom has one point (1G / 0A) in three games this season.
Elvis Merzlikins (upper-body) returned to practice on Monday and, as expected, Greaves has been reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters (AHL). The 23-year-old Greaves played nine games with the Blue Jackets last season (3-6-0), posting a 3.49 GAA and .908 SV%.
Merzlikins has not dressed for the last two games, recovering from an upper-body injury, but appears to be nearing a return to the lineup after being a full participant at practice on Monday. In his previous two seasons combined, Merzlikins has a horrid 3.77 GAA and .889 SV% in 71 appearances (20-35-10). Through two starts this season, Merzlikins is showcasing similar results, posting a 0-2-0 record with a 3.68 GAA and .854 SV%.
Johnson left Columbus' previous game vs. Buffalo after just 6:26 TOI due to an upper-body injury and is now expected to miss some time after head coach Dean Evason stated "it's not short-term" in regards to his return. It is unfortunate news for the 22-year-old, who was showing signs of a true breakout campaign with two goals, five points and eight SOG in his first four games played.
Lundestrom played only 11:18 time-on-ice in Wednesday's 5-4 win over the Utah Hockey Club before exiting the game with an upper-body injury. The 24-year-old Lundestrom has one point (1G / 0A) in three games this season.
Wood left Wednesday’s loss vs. Boston with an undisclosed injury after just 12:46 TOI but will return to the lineup on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. A myriad of injuries for the Avalanche thrust Wood onto their top line alongside Logan O'Connor and Nathan MacKinnon, where he should return on Friday night.
Johnson suffered the injury after colliding with teammate James van Riemsdyk in the second period of Thursday's game and did not return. We should expect to receive an update on the injury prior to Columbus' game against the Wild on Saturday.
Wood left Wednesday’s loss vs. Boston with an undisclosed injury after just 12:46 TOI but could return to the lineup on Friday against the Anaheim Ducks. A myriad of injuries for the Avalanche had thrust Wood onto their top line alongside Logan O'Connor and Nathan MacKinnon.
Colorado’s list of key injuries continues to grow after Miles Wood left Wednesday’s loss vs. Boston with an undisclosed injury after just 12:46 TOI. Coach Jared Bednar did not have any updates in Colorado’s post-game press conference and confirm Wood was still being evaluated.
Merzlikins' injury is expected to be short-term. Daniil Tarasov will likely get the start on Thursday, with Jet Greaves coming up from Cleveland (AHL) to serve as his backup. Though two starts, Merzlikins is 0-2-0 with a 3.68 GAA and .854 SV%.
Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason stated that starting goalie Elvis Merzlikins needed a few days to rest and gather himself, resulting in the call-up of Greaves. The 23-year-old Greaves played nine games with the Blue Jackets last season (3-6-0), posting a 3.49 GAA and .908 SV%.
Gudbranson was forced to leave Tuesday's game vs. Florida early due to an upper-body injury and has been placed on IR on Wednesday. The 32-year-old stay-at-home defender had yet to pick up a point in any of his three appearances this season but had two PIMs and averaged 15:46 TOI/GP
Despite a remarkable 42-save shutout for Talbot in his first start of the season, the Red Wings opted to turn to Alex Lyon in the crease in their last game. Lyon and the Red Wings were unsuccessful in a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers and will return to Talbot in a rematch against the Rangers on Thursday. Starting a season strong is nothing new for the 37-year-old Talbot, who had a .933 SV% in his first 17 games (12-4-1) with the Los Angeles Kings last season before tailing off with a .904 SV% in his final 37 (15-16-5).
Darcy Kuemper (lower body) is out day-to-day, resulting in Copley's first call-up to the Kings this season. Copley played eight games with the Kings last season (4-1-2), posting a 3.16 GAA and .870 SV%, and has a 3.04 GAA and .864 SV% after one game with the Ontario Reign (1-0-0) this season. Copley will serve as the backup to David Rittich on Wednesday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
McCue will begin the season with the Cleveland Monsters (AHL) after being activated from Injured Reserve. The 21-year-old McCue was a fifth-round pick of the San Jose Sharks in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and is making his professional debut this season after tallying 61 points (27G / 34A) in 62 games with the London Knights (OHL) in 2023-24.
The Blue Jackets have alternated netminder in their first two games but will turn back to Merzlikins between the pipes on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers. In his previous two seasons combined, Merzlikins has a horrid 3.77 GAA and .889 SV% in 71 appearances (20-35-10). That said, he played reasonably in his first outing this season, saving 23 of 26 shots (.885 SV%) in a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. Columbus enters action on Tuesday as a +134 home underdog.
Ville Husso started the first game of the season for the Red Wings, a forgettable performance, allowing four goals on 14 shots (.714 SV%), in a 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Talbot entered the contest in relief, saving 12 of 14 shots (.857 SV%), and will get to showcase his talents as the starting netminder on Saturday against the Nashville Predators. The 37-year-old Talbot had a strong 2023-24 campaign with the Los Angeles Kings, posting a 2.50 GAA, .913 SV%, and three shutouts in 54 appearances (27-20-6).
