Smith was suspended two games for an aggressive slash to Philadelphia's Travis Konecny but will return to the Devils' lineup Thursday vs. Seattle. The 34-year-old veteran defensemen has not scored in 81 games since joining New Jersey in 2022-23 but has two assists, 21 SOG, 32 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through 21 games this season.
Andrew Peeke will fill in for Gudbranson again as he will miss his second consecutive game. Gudbranson has played 26 games for the Blue Jackets this season, scoring nine points (2G / 7A), averaging 19:47 time-on-ice, and registering a -11 plus/minus.
Zamula will draw back into the Flyers' lineup for the first time since November 30th, as Marc Staal will be a healthy scratch. Zamula has four points (1G / 3A) in 18 games, a +10 plus/minus, and is averaging 15:18 time-on-ice. He is expected to skate alongside Rasmus Ristolainen on the third defensive pair.
With the sudden news of Elvis Merzlikins (illness) being placed on the IR, Jet Greaves has been recalled from Cleveland (AHL) for the first time this season on an emergency basis Wednesday. The 22-year-old undrafted goaltender has put up a great record (9-3-0) despite his struggles this season as he has an .899 SV% and 3.09 GAA with Cleveland to start the year. He has appeared in one NHL game previously in his career.
Sillinger has been playing some of his best hockey of late but is considered week-to-week after he was placed on the Injured Reserve Wednesday with an upper-body injury. The 20-year-old is in his third NHL season and has a goal, eight assists, 42 SOG, 15 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 24 games so far this season.
Merzlikins was surprisingly placed on the Injured Reserve Wednesday as he battles illness and is expected to be out for at least a week. The 29-year-old has been solid despite the team in front of him struggling this season as he is 6-8-4 with a .910 SV% and a 3.10 GAA. Jet Greaves has been recalled on an emergency basis from Cleveland (AHL) to replace Merzlikins.
Andrew Peeke will draw back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets in place of Gudbranson.Gudbranson has played all 26 games for the Blue Jackets this season, scoring nine points (2G / 7A), averaging 19:47 time-on-ice, and registering a -11 plus/minus through 26 games.
Merzlikins will return to the starter's crease on Tuesday after serving as the backup goalie in the Blue Jackets 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday. After a horrid seven-game stretch (2-2-2) that saw him allow 22 goals and post a .879 SV%, Merzlikins has flipped a switch, with an exceptional .921 SV% in his last nine games (3-5-1). That said, the Blue Jackets have continually struggled to provide Merzlikins with ample goal support, and, as a result, they are sizeable +192 home underdogs against a Los Angeles Kings team that leads the league offensively (3.86 GF / GP).
If Gudbranson is unable to play on Tuesday, expect Andrew Peeke to draw back into the lineup for the Blue Jackets. Gudbranson has played all 26 games for the Blue Jackets this season, scoring nine points (2G / 7A), averaging 19:47 time-on-ice, and registering a -11 plus/minus through 26 games.
Merzlikins will likely return to the starter's crease on Tuesday after serving as the backup goalie in the Blue Jackets 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday. After a horrid seven-game stretch (2-2-2) that saw him allow 22 goals and post a .879 SV%, Merzlikins has flipped a switch, with an exceptional .921 SV% in his last nine games (3-5-1). That said, the Blue Jackets have continually struggled to provide Merzlikins with ample goal support, and, as a result, they are sizeable +192 home underdogs against a Los Angeles Kings team that leads the league offensively (3.86 GF / GP).
Despite losing his last two starts, Merzlikins' play has improved significantly recently as the Latvian netminder will start on Friday against the Ottawa Senators. After a horrid stretch of play that saw him post a .879 SV% in seven games (2-2-2), Merzlikins has recorded a save percentage of .900 or better in seven of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a .916 SV% in the process. The goal support has not been there for Merzlikins, as the Blue Jackets rank eighth-worst in the league offensively (2.88 GF / GP), but he has given his team a chance to win on most nights. The Blue Jackets are +140 home underdogs against a Senators team that has struggled to record victories lately, losing two consecutive games.
Konecny was fined $5,000 for a cross check which resulted in Brendan Smith's retaliatory slash which has led to the Devils' defensemen being suspended for two-games. Smith will miss the Devils' game Friday vs. San Jose and Tuesday against Vancouver. The 34-year-old veteran has no goals, two assists, 21 SOG, 32 PIMs and a -2 plus/minus in 21 games played prior to his suspension.
An undisclosed injury to Cole Sillinger has resulted in Johnson drawing back into the Blue Jackets lineup. Johnson struggled to find his footing with the Blue Jackets this season after an impressive 2022-23 rookie campaign that saw him score 40 points (16G / 24A) in 79 games. Johnson was reassigned to the Cleveland Monsters earlier this season, dominating with 15 points (5G / 10A) in 10 games. He will hope to make an impact immediately as he is expected to skate on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner.
Olivier will draw back into the Blue Jackets lineup along with Kent Johnson as Cole Sillinger is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, and Eric Robinson will be a healthy scratch. In 12 games this season, Olivier has three points (0G / 3A), 12 penalty minutes, and 30 hits, averaging 9:48 time-on-ice.
Despite losing his last two starts, Merzlikins' play has improved significantly recently as the Latvian netminder will likely start on Friday against the Ottawa Senators. After a horrid stretch of play that saw him post a .879 SV% in seven games (2-2-2), Merzlikins has recorded a save percentage of .900 or better in seven of his last eight games (2-5-1), posting a .916 SV% in the process. The goal support has not been there for Merzlikins, as the Blue Jackets rank eighth-worst in the league offensively (2.88 GF / GP), but he has given his team a chance to win on most nights. The Blue Jackets are +140 home underdogs against a Senators team that has struggled to record victories lately, losing two consecutive games.
Sillinger has been playing some of his best hockey of late but is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury for the time being and will miss Friday's game vs. Ottawa. The 20-year-old is in his third NHL season and has a goal, eight assists, 42 SOG, 15 PIMs and a -6 plus/minus in 24 games so far this season.
Sillinger exited Wednesday's loss to the Montreal Canadiens with an undisclosed injury and his status on Friday against the Ottawa Senators doesn't seem promising after he was unable to participate in practice on Thursday. The Blue Jackets also recalled Kent Johnson from Cleveland (AHL), adding to the speculation that Sillinger could miss some time.
Johnson will head back to Columbus four weeks after his surprise demotion to Cleveland (AHL) after he was recalled to replace the injured Damon Severson (oblique). The 21-year-old high-end prospect has re-found his game in the minors, with five goals, 10 assists, and a +5 plus/minus in 10 games played. He returns to Blue Jackets, where he had 16 goals, 24 assists, 126 SOG and 14 PIMs in 79 games played in 2022-23.
Severson exited last Sunday's contest with an upper-body injury, playing only 9:57 time-on-ice. 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. He has now been placed on injured reserve and is about one week through his original six-to-eight-week recovery timeline. The move to IR has allowed the Blue Jackets to recall Kent Johnson.
