Game Day #56: Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko, And Dante Fabbro Return To Lineup Saturday As Blue Jackets Begin Playoff Push

Everything is happening all at once.

Boone Jenner will make his season debut, Kirill Marchenko and Dante Fabbro are both back in the lineup, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are in action for the first time in two weeks when they face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night at Nationwide Arena.

The game is the beginning of what will be a mad dash of 26 contests between now and the end of the regular season, with a half-dozen teams packed within six points of the two wildcard spots and several more lurking just a couple points behind that.

“With 26 games left, you look at the schedule, it’s a couple of months," said Jenner. "It’s super tight right now as it stands, and it’s only going to be tighter and these games mean more and more as you come down the stretch."

The games especially mean more when they're ones that the Blue Jackets should win — of which Saturday's game is one. The Blackhawks exit the break with the second-fewest points in the NHL, ahead of just the San Jose Sharks. They're near the bottom of the league in goals and goals allowed, and they're also abysmal on the road (6-17-4). Columbus, meanwhile, has been dominant at home (17-6-4).

Here's what else to know when the Blue Jackets return to the ice for the playoff push:

• RE: HAWKS
  Petr Mrazek gets the start for Chicago and will oppose Elvis Merzlikins, who gets the start in the Columbus net. Mrazek has a 10-18-2 record this season as the Blackhawks starter, with a 3.27 goals against average and save percentage of .897. ... Connor Bedard has a point in three straight games and has been in the box score in seven of his last eight games overall. ... Former Blue Jackets Seth Jones (6 goals, 20 assists) and Nick Foligno (11 goals, 14 assists) are two of the six Blackhawks' with 25+ points this season. ... Chicago has a lot of weaknesses, but their special teams aren't amongst them: the Blackhawks rank top ten in power play and on the penalty kill.
   
• JENNER'S RETURN & ROLE
  Jenner, the Blue Jackets captain who was injured on the last day of training camp and required shoulder surgery, has practiced with Cole Sillinger and Kent Johnson on Columbus' second line. For the last several seasons, Jenner has been at center out of necessity. But with the strong play of Sean Monahan and the emergence of Adam Fantilli as Columbus' top two centers, it allows head coach Dean Evason to move Jenner back to his primary role on the wing. Even with Monahan out until sometime in March, the Blue Jackets seemingly want consistency in the lineup and are keeping Jenner at the wing.
   
• MARCHENKO, FABBRO BACK TOO
  Marchenko, who will wear a protective face mask as he continues to recover from a broken jaw sustained at the beginning of the month, will jump right back into the top wing spot in Columbus' lineup, opposite of Dmitri Voronkov and centered by Adam Fantilli.
  
  Fabbro, who was injured in the same game, will slide into his traditional spot opposite of Zach Werenski on Columbus' top defensive pairing.
   
• LINEUPS & PROJECTIONS
  Aside from all of the returns, there is one other change to the lineup: forward Kevin Labanc had shoulder surgery during the break and will miss the remainder of the season. In his place, Joseph LaBate has been called up from Cleveland. LaBate has not played an NHL game since skating in 13 contests with the Vancouver Canucks during the 2016-17 season. It's been a long, tough road back to the NHL for LaBate, who will see minimal minutes on the fourth line.
  
  Here are the complete lineup projections: