Blue Jackets Face Utah Amid Injury Challenges

The Columbus Blue Jackets are set to face the Utah Hockey Club at Nationwide Arena, aiming to avoid a third consecutive loss following a recent 3-2 defeat in Buffalo. Kent Johnson, who is on an eight-game point streak, will play a crucial role for Columbus. The team is dealing with significant injuries, including leading scorer Kirill Marchenko's indefinite absence due to a broken jaw and the unavailability of key defensemen Zach Werenski and Dante Fabbro. Utah, with a 22-22-9 record, comes off a 3-2 overtime victory against Philadelphia and will look to capitalize on Columbus's weakened lineup. The Blue Jackets, boasting a strong home record of 17-5-3, previously defeated Utah 3-2 in overtime this season. Both teams are evenly matched over their last ten games, with similar goal-scoring and defensive statistics.