The Blue Jackets are playing the tail end of a back-to-back on Friday and were anticipating having Tarasov tend the twine, but he is battling an illness and will not be able to suit up. Elvis Merzlikins will start for the second consecutive night.

Brodin has not played since February 28th, missing nine games games, but will likely return to the lineup on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. Before his injury, the 31-year-old Brodin was averaging 22:42 time-on-ice, recording 18 points (4G / 14A) in 38 games this season. David Jiricek has been reassigned to the Iowa Wild (AHL) in a corresponding move.

Wennberg showed no signs of an injury in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes, recording 19:55 time-on-ice, but his status is up in the air for Saturday's contest against the Boston Bruins. The 30-year-old Wennberg is averaging 18:20 time-on-ice and has 31 points (8G / 23A) in 64 games this season.

Skinner exited Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets for precautionary reasons and will be ready to suit up on Saturday against the Seattle Kraken. That said, Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch did not specify if Skinner or Calvin Pickard would be between the pipes on Saturday.

Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch made it clear the team's main priority is having Leon Draisaitl healthy for the playoffs, which could potentially limit his usage down the stretch, and will miss his second consecutive game on Saturday. The 29-year-old Draisaitl is averaging 21:39 time-on-ice and has 101 points (49G / 52A) in 68 games this season. He had a career-high 55 goals in the 2021-22 season. With Connor McDavid also battling an undisclosed injury, the Oilers will be without their top two forward on Saturday and possibly beyond.

McDavid exited Thursday's 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets after 14:59 time-on-ice on due to an undisclosed injury and will not play on Saturday as he has further testing done. The 28-year-old McDavid has 90 points (26G / 64A) in 63 games this season and has 19 points (4G / 15A) in during a 13-game point streak. With Leon Draisaitl also battling an undisclosed injury, the Oilers will be without their top two forwards on Saturday.

Dach exited Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Kings after 11:27 time-on-ice due to an elbow injury, and will not play on Saturday against the St. Louis Blues. The 22-year-old Dach is averaging 12:08 time-on-ice and has seven points (2G / 5A) in 25 games this season.

Johansson did not play the previous game for Minnesota but will likely return to the lineup on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres. The 34-year-old forward is averaging 16:08 time-on-ice and has 25 points (7G / 18A) in 59 games this season.

Romanov has missed two games while recovering from an illness but will likely return to the lineup on Saturday against the Calgary Flames. The 25-year-old Romanov is averaging 22:46 time-on-ice, recording 18 points (4G / 14A), 120 hits, and 138 blocks in 52 games this season.

Soderblom showed no signs of an injury in the Red Wings' previous game, playing 13:57 time-on-ice, but will be sidelined day-to-day with an undisclosed ailment. The 23-year-old Soderblom is averaging 13:13 time-on-ice and has nine points (3G / 6A) in 22 games this season.

Gustafsson only played 13:34 time-on-ice in Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, was absent from practice on Thursday, and will be sidelined indefinitely due to an undisclosed injury. The 33-year-old Gustafsson is averaging 16:19 time-on-ice, recording 18 points (2G / 16A) and a -19 plus/minus rating in 60 games this season.

Rossi exited Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Seattle Kraken in the first period after only 3:00 time-on-ice, but was back at practice on Friday. The 23-year-old Rossi has had an excellent season, seeing an elevated role due to the ongoing Kiril Kaprizov injury, scoring 53 points (21G / 32A) in 69 games.

Orlov has missed five straight due to an upper-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 33-year-old defenseman is averaging 19:42 time-on-ice, recording 24 points (4G / 20A), 49 blocks, and 80 hits in 62 games this season.

Svechnikov has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury and will miss a fourth on Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. The 24-year-old Svechnikov is averaging 17:29 time-on-ice and has 43 points (18G / 25A) in 63 games this season.

Karlsson has not played since January 20th due to a lower-body injury but will return to the lineup on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. The 32-year-old Karlsson is averaging 17:11 time-on-ice and has 18 points (7G / 11A) in 38 games this season. Before his injury, Karlsson only had one point (0G / 1A) in his last 12 games.

Benson is battling an illness and will not play on Thursday against the Utah Hockey Club. The 19-year-old forward is averaging 14:35 time-on-ice and has 23 points (10G / 13A) in 60 games this season.