Olivier has not played since December 16th but will return to the lineup on Wednesday against the New Jersey Devils as Sean Kuraly (abdominal) will be unavailable. The 26-year-old winger has five points (1G / 4A) in 18 games and is expected to play on the fourth line with Brendan Gaunce and Alexandre Texier.
Severson hasn't played since November 19th, missing just over a month due to the oblique injury. He had three goals and five assists in 19 games prior to the injury. Severson is expected to play alongside Ivan Provorov on the Blue Jackets' second defensive pairing when he returns to the lineup on Saturday.
Hunt skated in four straight games but played just 4:28 TOI as the No.7 defenseman on Thursday. He'll be replaced by Jake Lucchini, who will be making his Wild debut up front.
Hunt will sit in favour of Dakota Mermis on Thursday after playing in each of the Wild's last three games. Hunt has no goals and one assist in eight games this season.
Fabbro will play for the first time since December 12th on Thursday as the Predators are opting to dress seven defensemen. He has two goals and five assists in 24 games this season.
After not playing the last two games for the Blue Jackets, Merzlikins will return to the crease on Thursday. Merzlikins has only played three games in December but has collected a point in each, posting a 2-0-1 record and .915 SV%. The Blue Jackets are coming off a commanding 9-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday but are slight -101 home underdogs against a Washington Capitals team that has won two straight but played last night, a 3-2 overtime win over the New York Islanders.
Severson has missed 14 games with an oblique injury suffered on November 19th and, after being a full participant at practice on Wednesday, could return to the lineup imminently. Head Coach Pascal Vincent used "before Christmas" as a target for Severson's return, suggesting he will play either on Thursday against the Washington Capitals or Saturday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before his injury, Severson had three points (2G / 1A) in his last two games and has eight points (3G / 5A) in 19 games this season.
Patrik Laine was placed on the injured reserve with a clavicle fracture, allowing the Blue Jackets to recall Brendan Guance from the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL. In 24 games with Cleveland this season, Gaunce has 15 points (6G / 9A) and a +5 plus/minus rating.
Gudbranson was suspended one game for being the aggressor in his altercation with Nick Cousins of the Florida Panthers. Gudbranson did not play on Thursday but will return to the Blue Jackets lineup on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils. Gudbranson has 10 points (2G / 8A), 23 hits, and 66 blocks while averaging 19:34 time-on-ice through 27 games this season.
Aston-Reese made his Red Wings debut earlier this week, playing 6:21 time-on-ice and registering two hits. He will return to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL where he has seven points (4G / 3A) in 20 games.
Merzlikins has not played since December 5th, when he was placed on injured reserve with an illness but participated in morning skate on Thursday and will start for the Blue Jackets after being activated from IR. Before being placed on IR, Merzlikins was playing his best hockey of the season, posting a .930 SV% during a 3-2-1 stretch. The Blue Jackets are sizeable +211 road underdogs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have collected at least a point in seven straight contests (5-0-2).
Merzlikins has not played since December 5th, when he was placed on injured reserve with an illness but participated in morning skate on Thursday and will likely start for the Blue Jackets after being activated from IR. Before being placed on IR, Merzlikins was playing his best hockey of the season, posting a .930 SV% during a 3-2-1 stretch. The Blue Jackets are sizeable +211 road underdogs against the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have collected at least a point in seven straight contests (5-0-2).
Hunt had a goal, eight assists, nine PIMs and a +3 plus/minus in 14 games with Iowa (AHL) and has been recalled to Minnesota Wednesday. The 21-year-old defensemen was Minnesota's 2020 3rd round pick and made his first NHL appearance earlier this season, appearing in five games with no points while averaging 8:36 TOI.
Aston-Reese will be the odd-man out on Tuesday as the Wings opt to dress seven defensemen. He played less than seven minutes in his Red Wings debut in Dallas on Monday.
The incident occurred in Sunday's game between the Panthers and Blue Jackets after Cousins was penalized for boarding Gudbranson earlier in the game. Gudbranson will miss Thursday's game against the Leafs as a result and will be eligible to return for Saturday's game against the Devils.
Aston-Reese and Austin Czarnik have both been recalled from Grand Rapids of the AHL for a Red Wings team that is suddenly experiencing a myriad of injuries, most notably with Dylan Larkin (upper-body) and J.T. Compher (soreness) on the injured reserve. Aston-Reese has not played with the Red Wings yet this season but has seven points (4G / 3A) in 20 games with Grand Rapids.
With Elvis Merzlikins unable to play due to an illness, Greaves was forced to play on the back end of a back-to-back on Friday and was rewarded another start on Sunday after a strong performance. In two games (1-1-), the 22-year-old Greaves saved 72 of 77 shots (.935 SV%) and posted a 2.52 GAA. He will now return to the Cleveland Monsters of the AHL as Columbus has recalled Daniil Tarasov.
