Elvis Merzlikins will get the night off on Sunday as the Blue Jackets' will turn to Spencer Martin in goal. Martin is coming off one of his best starts of the season when he stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced in Monday's 5-2 victory over the Bruins, and he'll get the chance to face them again on Sunday. The Blue Jackets are +200 underdogs in Boston despite defeating the Bruins less than a week ago.
Robinson will be a healthy scratch on Monday as Mathieu Olivier and Kent Johnson will both draw back into the Blue Jackets lineup. Robinson has played five straight for the Blue Jackets and has one points (1G / 0A), averaging 12:40 time-on-ice in six total games this season.
Kochetkov has been tremendous lately and will start for the third straight game on Thursday as he searches for his third consecutive win. Kochetkov had a rough start to the season as he bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL as the Hurricanes rotated three goaltenders but has found his footing since Frederik Andersen has been unable to play, recording a stellar .929 SV% in five appearances (3-1-0). The Hurricanes are -182 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that has lost two straight games and ranks third-worst in the league offensively (2.62 GF / GP).
Svechnikov was a last-minute healthy scratch on Tuesday due to an illness but is expected to return on Thursday against the New York Islanders. Svechnikov is coming off his best performance of the season, scoring two points (1G / 1A), his first goal, adding to his nine-point output (1G / 8A) through 12 games. The talented 23-year-old winger is still re-acclimating to the game after missing an extended period due to knee surgery and is averaging only 16:20 time-on-ice, nearly a full two minutes less than his totals from last season.
Kochetkov has been tremendous lately and will likely start for the third straight game on Thursday as he searches for his third consecutive win. Kochetkov had a rough start to the season as he bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL as the Hurricanes rotated three goaltenders but has found his footing since Frederik Andersen has been unable to play, recording a stellar .929 SV% in five appearances (3-1-0). The Hurricanes are -182 home favourites against a New York Islanders team that has lost two straight games and ranks third-worst in the league offensively (2.62 GF / GP).
Svechnikov was a late scratch for Tuesday's game with the team making the announcement a little over 30 minutes before puck drop. The 2018 second-overall pick has one goal and eight assists in 12 games this season. His first chance to return to the Hurricanes' lineup will be Thursday's game against the Islanders.
Kochetkov will take the Hurricanes' crease for a second straight start after stopping 21 of 23 shots (.913 SV%) in a victory over Columbus last game. The 24-year-old has mostly struggled in 2023-24, with his 2-4-0 record, 2.91 GAA and .881 SV%. He heads to Philadelphia to take on the Flyers who have won six of their last eight games and are fifth in the NHL in shots per game (32.3).
Martin last played on November 19th, allowing four goals on 25 shots (.840 SV%) in a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers and will return to the crease on the back end of a back-to-back Monday against the Boston Bruins. Martin has contributed to the Blue Jackets' bottom-third defence (3.45 GA / GP) with a 3.37 GAA and .898 SV% through eight appearances (1-5-1). The Blue Jackets are sizeable +215 home underdogs against a Bruins team that has lost three of their last four (1-2-1), their worst stretch of the season.
Taylor Hall was acquired in the offseason for two players but has endured a season filled with injuries and will now be out for the remainder of the 2023-24 season as he undergoes right knee surgery. The 32-year-old left-winger ends his season with two goals, two assists, 20 SOG, four PIMs, and a -3 plus/minus in 10 games played.
Jost will replace Peyton Krebs, who will be a healthy scratch for the Sabres on Wednesday. Jost did not play in the last game for the Sabres but has dressed in 13 of 18 games this season, tallying two points (1G / 1A), and 17 shots on goal while averaging 11:10 time-on-ice. He is expected to slot in on the third line between Jordan Greenway and Victor Olofsson.
Katchouk will slide into the Blackhawks' lineup, his first game since November 16th, replacing Taylor Hall, who is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Hall has four points (2G / 2A) in 10 games this season, averaging 16:20 time-on-ice and played most recently on a line with Tyler Johnson and Taylor Raddysh.
Robinson has a goal, three assists, and a +3 plus/minus in nine games with Cleveland (AHL) but has been recalled to Columbus Tuesday. The 28-year-old left-winger will head to the Blue Jackets for a second time this season and has only appeared in one game so far without a point after appearing in 139 games across the last two seasons. In 2022-23, he had 12 goals and 24 points in 72 games with Columbus.
Hall has missed the Blackhawks' previous two games due to a lower-body injury and will take warmups and be a game-time decision Saturday vs. Nashville. The 32-year-old is in his first season in Chicago after an offseason trade from Boston, and has two goals, two assists, 15 SOG, four PIMs and a -2 plus/minus through eight injury riddled games so far in 2023-24.
