Projected Lineups for the Blue Jackets vs Avalanche – 10/12/24

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

BLUE JACKETS (0-1-0) at AVALANCHE (0-1-0)

9 p.m. ET; BSOH, ALT

Blue Jackets projected lineup

Yegor Chinakhov — Sean Monahan — Kirill Marchenko
James van Riemsdyk — Adam Fantilli — Kevin Lebanc
Mikael Pyythia — Cole Sillinger — Kent Johnson
Zach Aston-Reese — Sean Kuraly — Mathieu Olivier

Zach Werenski — Ivan Provorov
Jake Christiansen — Damon Severson
Jack Johnson — Erik Gudbranson

Daniil Tarasov
Elvis Merzilkins

Scratched: Dylan Gambrell, Jordan Harris, David Jiricek

Injured: Justin Danforth (wrist), Dmitri Voronokov (upper body), Boone Jenner (shoulder), Gavin Brindley (finger)

Status report
– Each team held an optional morning skate Saturday.
– The Blue Jackets will dress the same lineup they used in a season-opening 3-2 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

More from THW:

• Cleveland Monsters Season-Opening Q&A With Head Coach Trent Vogelhuber
• Blue Jackets Have Reasons To Be Optimistic
• CBJ Union Junction Podcast: 2024-25 Predictions, The Roster & More

Avalanche projected lineup

Nikolai Kovalenko — Nathan MacKinnon — Mikko Rantanen
Ross Colton — Casey Mittelstadt — Calum Ritchie
Miles Wood — Parker Kelly — Logan O’Connor
Ivan Ivan — Chris Wagner — Joel Kiviranta

Devon Toews — Cale Makar
Samuel Girard — Josh Manson
Calvin de Haan — Sam Malinski

Alexandar Georgiev
Justus Annunen

Scratched: John Ludvig, Oliver Kylington, Kaapo Kahkonen

Injured: Jonathan Drouin (upper body), Artturi Lehkonen (upper body), Gabriel Landeskog (knee), Tucker Poolman (head)

Suspended: Valeri Nichushkin

Status report
– Drouin, a forward, is day to day after being injured during a season-opening 8-4 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
– Wagner was recalled from Colorado of the American Hockey League on Saturday and will center the fourth line.

More from THW:

• Avalanche: Georgiev’s Opening Night Meltdown a Concern
• Insiders Report Mikko Rantanen Extension Isn’t Anywhere Close
• 3 Things the Avalanche Need to Fix After Season Opener