Johnson has struggled offensively this season, highlighted by a 12-game stretch with only one point (0G / 1A) while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time. He will be out of the lineup indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Johnson has struggled offensively this season, highlighted by a 12-game stretch with only one point (0G / 1A) while averaging over 13 minutes of ice time. He will be out of the lineup indefinitely with an upper-body injury.

Merzlikins was terrific against the New York Rangers on Sunday, saving 38 of 40 shots (.950 SV%) in a 4-2 victory, and will return to the crease in a rematch on Wednesday night. The Latvian netminder has a 3-2-0 record and a .920 SV% in his last five starts (3-2-0) while allowing three or fewer goals in all but one contest. That said, Merzlikins and the Blue Jackets are significant +211 road underdogs heading into action on Wednesday night.




Fasching has been out of the lineup since before the All-Star break and has been reassigned to Bridgeport (AHL) for conditioning. The depth right-winger has struggled offensively with the Islanders this season, with three goals, eight points, 30 SOG and a -8 plus/minus in 35 games played.

Fasching has been out of the lineup since before the All-Star break and will remain out for at least several more days after being placed on LTIR. The depth right-winger has struggled offensively with the Islanders this season, with three goals, eight points, 30 SOG and a -8 plus/minus in 35 games played.

Emil Bemstrom will be a healthy scratch on Tuesday, allowing Olivier to re-enter the lineup. Over his last four games, Olivier has recorded zero points but is averaging four hits per contest.

Merzlikins will tend the twine for the Blue Jackets on Tuesday, his third start in their last four games. The Latvian netminder has won two of his last three outings (2-1-0) and saved 28 of 31 shots (.903 SV%) on Saturday in a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. That said, the Blue Jackets are sizeable +215 road underdogs on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings.



Chinakhov missed the Blue Jackets' previous game due to an upper-body injury but will draw back into the lineup Saturday as they take on San Jose. The 23-year-old third-year player is in the midst of a breakout campaign, with 14 goals, 10 assists, 82 SOG, six PIMs and a -3 plus/minus through 40 games before his injury.

Chinakhov played only 8:40 time-on-ice before exiting Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning with an upper-body injury. He will not play on Tuesday but could return on Saturday against the San Jose Sharks. The 23-year-old Chinakhov is enjoying his best season, scoring 24 points (14G / 10A) in 40 games thus far.


Monahan will center a second line for the Jets with Cole Perfetti and Nikolaj Ehlers and is expected to be on the top powerplay unit as well. The 29-year-old centre had 13 goals and 22 assists (35 points) in 49 games with the Montreal Canadiens before being traded to Winnipeg last week.

Fasching returned from the All-Star break with some unfortunate news as the 28-year-old is day-to-day with a lower-body injury and is not expected to suit up on Monday vs. Toronto. The depth right-winger has struggled offensively with the Islanders this season, with three goals, eight points, 30 SOG and a -8 plus/minus in 35 games played.

The Canadiens will receive a 2027 third-round pick if the Winnipeg Jets win the Stanley Cup. Monahan has a $1.985M cap-hit and is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2023-24. The 29-year-old centre had 13 goals and 22 assists (35 points) in 49 games with Montreal prior to the trade. He should settle in as the Jets' No.2 centre.

Fantilli was limited to only 7:30 time-on-ice on Monday before exiting the game with a calf laceration. The 19-year-old rookie will miss approximately eight weeks, a devastating blow for a Blue Jackets team that has struggled all season. In 49 games this season, Fantilli had 27 points (12G / 15A), 115 shots, and 46 hits, one of the few bright spots on the Blue Jackets' season.

Columbus will continue to swap their goalies game by game as Merzlikins takes the crease for the second time in three games Tuesday in St. Louis. The 29-year-old made it public knowledge earlier in the season that he would like to be traded but has remained with Columbus and carries a 8-10-7 record, 3.35 GAA and .901 SV%. He takes on the red-hot St. Louis Blues, who have surprisingly won four straight games by the score of 4-3 and are currently on a five game winning streak.

Olivier has been a healthy scratch for the last seven games but will replace Emil Bemstrom in the bottom-6 on Tuesday. Olivier has just five points (1G / 4A) in 22 games this season but has delivered 53 hits (2.4 per game).
