BLUE JACKETS (12-18-7) at SABRES (14-18-4)
5 p.m. ET; BSOH, MSG-B
Blue Jackets projected lineup
Johnny Gaudreau -- Adam Fantilli -- Justin Danforth
Yegor Chinakhov -- Dmitri Voronkov -- Kirill Marchenko
Kent Johnson -- Cole Sillinger -- Emil Bemstrom
Alexandre Texier -- Brendan Gaunce -- Jack Roslovic
Damon Severson -- David Jiricek
Ivan Provorov -- Andrew Peeke
Jake Bean -- Erik Gudbranson
Daniil Tarasov
Spencer Martin
Scratched: Mathieu Olivier
Injured: Elvis Merzlikins (illness), Adam Boqvist (shoulder), Boone Jenner (broken jaw), Patrik Laine (fractured clavicle), Nick Blankenburg (upper body), Sean Kuraly (abdomen), Zach Werenski (lower body)
Sabres projected lineup
Jeff Skinner -- Tage Thompson -- Alex Tuch
JJ Peterka -- Dylan Cozens -- Jack Quinn
Jordan Greenway -- Casey Mittelstadt -- Zach Benson
Zemgus Girgensons -- Peyton Krebs -- Kyle Okposo
Rasmus Dahlin -- Mattias Samuelsson
Owen Power -- Henri Jokiharju
Ryan Johnson -- Connor Clifton
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Devon Levi
Scratched: Victor Olofsson, Erik Johnson, Eric Robinson, Eric Comrie
Injured: none
Status report
Neither team held a morning skate. … Tarasov could start after he was scratched Friday for a 6-5 overtime win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Merzlikins, a goalie, left the game against Toronto with an illness and was replaced by Martin. … Girgensons, who has missed 16 games with a lower-body injury, could return against Columbus. The Sabres will need to make a roster move to activate him from injured reserve. If he doesn’t play, Robinson, a former Blue Jackets forward, would likely draw in alongside Krebs and Okposo.
