After having a game against the Los Angeles Kings postponed Jan. 26 by a winter storm, the Blue Jackets can catch the Philadelphia Flyers in the Metropolitan Division standings Jan. 28 at Nationwide Arena.
Elvis Merzlikins will get the start in net for the Blue Jackets (24-20-7), who trail the Flyers (24-18-9) by two points after 51 games. The Jackets will also get defenseman Denton Mateychuk and forward Miles Wood back from injuries that cost both multiple games. Mateychuk sustained an upper-body injury prior to Rick Bowness taking over the Jackets' bench as head coach, so he's excited to see him play.
"I've watched him on TV a little bit," Bowness said. "All the great things I hear about him, and just watching him around the locker room, watching the interactions with all the players and the respect that's there already ... he gets along with everyone and everything he does, he's 'all in,' in the workouts, practices and meetings. I watch him in the meetings and he's dialed in, and I love that."
Mateychuk missed six games with his injury, which happened when he was driven into the boards from behind by Utah Mammoth forward Brandon Tanev in the Jackets' 3-2 win Jan. 11 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Wood missed 12 games with a lower-body injury that occurred Dec. 31 against the New Jersey Devils.
It was the second time this season he was injured against the Devils, whom he played parts of eight seasons with to start his NHL career. Wood also missed five games early in the season after taking a stick blade from Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton in one of his eyes. Wood also dealt with back issues the past couple years with the Colorado Avalanche that required surgery.
"The last couple years certainly have been frustrating," Wood said. "I guess it comes with the territory playing hockey and with age, but we have a great training staff and I can't wait to get back out there with the guys. Hopefully, I can stay healthy the rest of the year."
The Flyers will get goalie Dan Vladar (lower body) off injured reserve and he'll start against the Blue Jackets. Here are the projected lineups for the Blue Jackets and Flyers:
Columbus Blue Jackets projected lineup vs Philadelphia Flyers
FORWARDS
17 Mason Marchment – 19 Adam Fantilli – 86 Kirill Marchenko
38 Boone Jenner – 23 Sean Monahan – 91 Kent Johnson
4 Cole Sillinger – 3 Charlie Coyle – 24 Mathieu Olivier
10 Dmitri Voronkov – 21 Isac Lundestrom – 11 Miles Wood
DEFENSIVE PAIRINGS
8 Zach Werenski – 78 Damon Severson
5 Denton Mateychuk - 9 Ivan Provorov
6 Egor Zamula – 44 Erik Gudbranson
GOALIES
90 Elvis Merzlikins
73 Jet Greaves
Scratched: F Brendan Gaunce, Dante Fabbro (lower body), F Danton Heinen
Injured reserve: D Brendan Smith (ankle)
Philadelphia Flyers projected lineup vs Columbus Blue Jackets
FORWARDS
46 Trevor Zegras – 22 Christian Dvorak – 11 Travis Konecny
52 Denver Barkey – 14 Sean Couturier – 74 Owen Tippett
39 Matvei Michkov – 27 Noah Cates – 10 Bobby Brink
29 Nikita Grebenkin – 25 Lane Pederson – 91 Carl Grundstrom
DEFENSE
6 Travis Sanheim – 55 Rasmus Ristolainen
8 Cam York – 9 Jamie Drysdale
24 Nick Seeler – 47 Noah Juulsen
GOALIES
80 Dan Vladar
33 Samuel Ersson
Scratched: D Emil Andrae, LW Nicolas Deslauriers, R Garnet Hathaway
Injured reserve: RW Tyson Foerster (arm), C Rodrigo Abols (lower body)
Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at [email protected] and @BrianHedger.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets skate report: Mateychuk, Wood return vs. Flyers
