Projected Lineups for the Avalanche vs Blue Jackets - 4/3/25 - The Hockey Writers - Projected Lineups

The Colorado Avalanche takes on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena tonight. Here are the projected/expected lineups sourced from NHL.com staff writers, independent correspondents, and others.

AVALANCHE (46-26-4) at BLUE JACKETS (34-30-9)

7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNOH, ALT

Avalanche projected lineup

Jonathan Drouin — Nathan MacKinnon — Artturi Lehkonen
Valeri Nichushkin — Brock Nelson — Martin Necas
Joel Kiviranta — Charlie Coyle — Ross Colton
Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Ryan Lindgren — Sam Malinski
Keaton Middleton — Erik Johnson

Mackenzie Blackwood
Scott Wedgewood

Scratched: Miles Wood, Kevin Mandolese, Samuel Girard, Jimmy Vesey

Injured: Josh Manson (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)

Status report:

The Avalanche did not travel until Thursday morning because of weather issues following a 3-2 shootout win at the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. … Forwards Necas and Drouin each was injured Wednesday; Necas left briefly in the third period because of a neck injury after falling face-first into the back of Blackhawks center Frank Nazar but returned to score the winning goal. Drouin left in the first period and did not return because of a lower-body injury.

Latest for THW:

Blue Jackets projected lineup

Dmitri Voronkov — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
Boone Jenner — Adam Fantilli — Kent Johnson
Cole Sillinger — Justin Danforth — Mathieu Olivier
Zach Aston-Reese — Sean Kuraly — Luke Kunin

Zach Werenski — Dante Fabbro
Denton Mateychuk — Ivan Provorov
Erik Gudbranson — Jack Johnson

Elvis Merzlikins
Daniil Tarasov

Scratched: Jordan Harris, Christian Fischer, Yegor Chinakhov, James van Riemsdyk, Jack Williams, Jake Christiansen, Damon Severson

Injured: None

Status report:

Jack Johnson, a healthy scratch the past four games, will go in for Severson, a defenseman.