Game Day #10: Big Night At Nationwide As Dmitri Voronkov Returns To The Lineup Friday When Blue Jackets Face League-Best Jets

The Columbus Blue Jackets are in search of a third straight win and points in a fifth straight game on Friday night.

The object standing between them: the best team in the NHL.

The Blue Jackets face the Winnipeg Jets at Nationwide Arena to conclude a three-game homestand, with the Jets coming in victorious in nine of their first ten games to start the season.

The game will mark the return of forward Dmitri Voronkov, who is yet to play this season after an upper-body injury sustained late in the preseason. In news uncommon for the Blue Jackets in recent years, Voronkov is returning significantly earlier than originally anticipated.

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets faceoff against their biggest test of the season:

• As a rookie in 2023-24, Voronkov scored 18 goals and had 16 assists in 75 games. His 34 points were fourth on the team and of players in the lineup Friday, only Zach Werenski (57) and Kirill Marchenko (42) had more. He'll be in the middle six pairings versus the Jets, but his biggest impact could be on special teams: Voronkov was second on the team last year in power play goals with six, and he was a staple on the man-advantage unit this preseason before the injury. 
   
• Elvis Merzlikins is back between the pipes for Friday games. He allowed just one combined goal between the victories Monday against the Oilers and Wednesday against the Islanders, a power-play tally in the final seconds against Edmonton. It was the first time since the COVID-19 playoff bubble in August 2020 that Merzlikins had given up one total goal or fewer in back-to-back starts. SO far this season, Merzlikins has a 2.05 goals against average to pair with a .925 save percentage. 
   
• Looking for a couple of unsung heroes on the team? The third-pairing defensive combination of Jack Johnson and Jordan Harris have allowed just one goal so far in 51 minutes together, and that 1.17 goals per 60 average leads all defensive combinations on the Blue Jackets. Their expected goals per 60 is 2.22, which also leads the team. Shot attempts per 60 minutes? Johnson and Harris. Unblocked shot attempts? Same. The sample size is small, for sure, but through the first month of the season, the pair have been more than reliable.
   
• With Voronkov back, Kevin Labanc will be a healthy scratch; skaters are otherwise the same. Voronkov, just getting back into the groove of things, will start on the fourth line with veterans James van Riemsdyk and Sean Kuraly.