Gaunce will re-enter the press box after drawing into the lineup for Saturday's game in Carolina. Devin Shore re-enters the lineup in his place.

Gaunce was brought in as an extra player due to an illness running through the Minnesota roster but was not needed and will return to Iowa (AHL) on Tuesday. The 30-year-old veteran forward returns to the minors, where he has played well with 11 goals, 17 points and 12 PIMs in 22 games.

The Blue Jackets have won two of their last three (2-1-0) and will roll with Merzlikins between the pipes on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Merzlikins allowed four goals on 33 shots (.879 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. The 30-year-old netminder has a 3.18 GAA and .888 SV% in 26 games this season (13-10-3). The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +133 road underdogs against a Penguins club they defeated 6-2 on November 15th.

The Blue Jackets have won two of their last three (2-1-0) and will likely roll with Merzlikins between the pipes on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Merzlikins allowed four goals on 33 shots (.879 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 5-4 win over the St. Louis Blues. The 30-year-old netminder has a 3.18 GAA and .888 SV% in 26 games this season (13-10-3). The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +133 road underdogs against a Penguins club they defeated 6-2 on November 15th.

Gaunce has been in and out of Minnesota's lineup the past several weeks, recording zero points in five games. The 30-year-old has spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, scoring 17 points (11G / 6A) in 22 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL).

The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four (3-1-0) and will roll with Merzlikins between the pipes on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Merzlikins was solid in his most recent outing, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914 SV%) in a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 30-year-old netminder has a 3.07 GAA and .891 SV% in 24 games this season (12-9-3). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -123 home favorites against a Red Wings club outscoring their opposition 8-4 during a two-game winning streak.

The Blue Jackets have won three of their last four (3-1-0) and will roll with Merzlikins between the pipes on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings. Merzlikins was solid in his most recent outing, saving 32 of 35 shots (.914 SV%) in a 4-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The 30-year-old netminder has a 3.07 GAA and .891 SV% in 24 games this season (12-9-3). The Blue Jackets enter Thursday's contest as -123 home favorites against a Red Wings club outscoring their opposition 8-4 during a two-game winning streak.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a 4-0 loss to the Boston Bruins and will revert to Merzlikins between the pipes on Tuesday against the Carolina Hurricanes. Merzlikins was solid in his previous outing, saving 24 of 26 shots (.923 SV%) in a 6-2 win over the Bruins. He has a 3.09 GAA and .890 SV% in 23 games this season (11-9-3) and has not finished a season with a record above .500 since the 2021-22 campaign. The Blue Jackets enter Tuesday's contest as +188 home underdogs against a Hurricanes club that defeated them 4-1 two weeks ago.

Gaunce played four games over the last two weeks, recording zero points, and has been reassigned to the AHL. The 30-year-old has spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, scoring 14 points (8G / 6A) in 21 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL).

Merzlikins was battling an undisclosed injury, preventing him from playing the Blue Jackets' previous game, but he appears no worse for wear and will return to the crease on Friday against the Boston Bruins. Merzlikins allowed five goals on 30 shots (.833 SV%) in his previous outing, a 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. He has a 3.13 GAA and .889 SV% in 22 games this season (10-9-3). The Blue Jackets enter Friday's contest as +141 home underdogs against a Bruins club they will play again on Saturday.

Severson was a surprise scratch on Monday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. The 30-year-old Severson is averaging 22:25 time-on-ice, recording 17 points (6G / 11A), 67 blocks, and 22 hits in 34 games.

Fabbro exited Tuesday's game against the Tampa Bay Lightning early in the second period after a knee-on-knee collision with Conor Geekie and has not played since. The 26-year-old defenseman is averaging 19:19 time-on-ice and has seven points (3G / 4A) in 24 games this season.

Despite battling a lower-body injury, Werenski still played a whopping 27:32 time-on-ice in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. The 27-year-old Werenski has been incredible this season, pacing for career bests in all offensive categories, scoring 32 points (11G / 21A) and averaging a career-high 26:26 in 34 games.

Severson was a surprise scratch on Monday, with his absence not being announced prior to warmups. Severson did take part in the team's morning skate and stayed on for extra work, which suggests he may be a healthy scratch. Denton Mateychuk will draw into the lineup and make his NHL debut in place of Severson.

Gaunce has played three straight but will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The 30-year-old has spent most of the 2024-25 season in the AHL, scoring 14 points (8G / 6A) in 21 games with the Iowa Wild (AHL).

James Malatesta has been sent down to Cleveland (AHL) after making his season debut with Columbus. Malatesta was a fifth-round pick, 133rd overall, of the Blue Jackets in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He has 12 points (6G / 6A) in 25 games with Cleveland (AHL) this season. In a corresponding move, the Blue Jackets recalled Denton Mateychuk from Cleveland.