Merzlikins left the Blue Jackets' morning skate on Wednesday early due to an undisclosed ailment. It's unclear if this will affect his availability for Wednesday's tilt against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Mateychuk did not play the previous game for the Blue Jackets and will remain out of the lineup due to an illness on Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The 20-year-old defenseman is averaging 18:10 time-on-ice and has three points (1G / 2A) in 12 games this season.
Palat is battling an illness and will not play on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins. The 33-year-old Czech forward has 19 points (10G / 9A) in 48 games this season but only has three points (2G / 1A) in his last 10.
Nichushkin was listed as day-to-day after suffering his injury on January 1st but suffered a setback earlier this week, downgrading his status to week-to-week. The 29-year-old winger has 11 goals and six assists in 21 games this season.
Pacioretty has missed some time this season due to various injuries and has missed the previous two games due to an upper-body injury. The 36-year-old Pacioretty has 12 points (5G / 7A) and 89 hits in 32 games this season.
Smith has been sidelined since December 21st with a lower-body injury he suffered while blocking a shot. He'll replace Mark Jankowski, who is out week-to-week, on the Nashville fourth line.
Thrun is battling an undisclosed ailment and his status for Tuesday's game against the Nashville Predators is up in the air. The 23-year-old defenseman has been a regular on San Jose's blue line this season, tallying eight points (0G / 8A) in 40 games this season.
Kovalenko has not played since suffering an upper-body injury on January 7th, missing five straight, but will re-enter the lineup on Tuesday against the Nashville Predators. The 25-year-old Kovalenko has 14 points (5G / 9A) in 40 games this season. Carl Grundstrom will be a healthy scratch to accommodate Kovalenko's return.
Howden had an impressive outing in Monday's 5-4 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues, recording one goal, five shots, and one hit in 13:29 time-on-ice, but is battling an illness, making his status uncertain for Thursday's rematch. The 26-year-old Howden is averaging 15:10 time-on-ice and has 22 points (16G / 6A) in 47 games.
Schwindt played only 6:13 time-on-ice in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks and has been sidelined since due to a lower-body injury. The 23-year-old has seven points (0G / 7A) in 38 games this season. Alexander Holtz drew into the lineup as Schwindt's replacement on Monday.
Zucker had a strong performance in yesterday's 6-4 loss to the Seattle Kraken, tallying two points (1G / 1A), but his status for Tuesday's match against the Vancouver Canucks is up in the air due to an illness. The 33-year-old Zucker has only topped 48 points once in his career, a 67-point campaign (33G / 31A) in the 2017-18 season as a member of the Minnesota Wild, but is well on pace to do so this season. He has 35 points (16G / 19A) in 46 games.
Zegras has not played since December 4th, missing 22 straight games due to a knee injury and rehabilitation from meniscus surgery. Before his injury, he averaged 16:57 time-on-ice and had 10 points (4G / 6A) in 24 games. The 23-year-old will likely play on a line with Leo Carlsson and Alex Killorn.
McGinn suffered a lower-body injury on December 23rd and will miss the next 7-9 months after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery. Before his injury, the 30-year-old McGinn had eight points (4G / 4A) in 26 games this season.
Lundestrom exited Saturday's 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers after a knee-on-knee hit by Sam Reinhart. Reinhart was ejected from the game. The 25-year-old Lundestrom is averaging 14:01 time-on-ice and has seven points (4G / 3A) in 44 games this season.
Tavares has missed three straight games with a lower-body injury and remains week-to-week. Before his injury, Tavares had been held off the scoresheet in three straight games but still producing at a near point-per-game pace, scoring 42 points (20G / 22A) in 43 contests.
