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Help for injury-plagued Columbus Blue Jackets is coming with Jenner, Marchenko and Fabbro
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- Help for injury-plagued Columbus Blue Jackets is coming with Jenner, Marchenko and Fabbro
Dean Evason is about to get three familiar faces back in the Blue Jackets ' lineup Saturday against the Chicago Blackhawks .
Captain Boone Jenner (shoulder surgery) and Kirill Marchenko (fractured jaw) are expected to return to the Jackets' forward lines while defenseman Dante Fabbro (concussion) will return to the top defensive pairing to play with Zach Werenski , who's coming off a stinging overtime loss to Canada on Thursday in the championship of the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
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After leading the tournament in scoring with six points for the United States on six assists, it's time for Werenski to focus on a different red, white and blue team.
"We'll talk to him here today," Evason said Friday. "And, as I (said) before, he can do whatever he wants ... as long as he gets on the ice (Saturday) night."
The Blue Jackets activated Jenner and Marchenko off injured reserve Friday, while Fabbro will return without needing roster activation. Friday wasn't all good on the injury front, though. The Blue Jackets also added depth forward Kevin Labanc to the IR following a season-ending shoulder surgery and ruled AHL Cleveland forward Owen Sillinger out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Joe Labate, a professional journeyman forward who played last season in Russia's KHL, was recalled Thursday from Cleveland and will make his Blue Jackets debut on the fourth line against Chicago in his first NHL action since March 28, 2017 with the Vancouver Canucks .
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More: Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski paces '4 Nations' scorers despite OT loss to Canada
As for Jenner, the Blue Jackets' captain will make his season debut by playing Saturday. He's been out since injuring his shoulder in a preseason practice and undergoing surgery in early October.
This week, Jenner skated at left wing on a second line featuring center Cole Sillinger – Owen's younger brother – and Kent Johnson . It will be the first chance Evason has to send Jenner into a game that counts.
"He's a fantastic pro, right"? Evason said. "So, to be on the bench with him is going to be exciting, to call his name will be awesome and ... he's not just, all of a sudden, going to come in and lead us. He's been in our room the entire time, and he's had an effect and a presence in there right from Day 1. It's clearly going to be an easy transition for him to step back in, right away, and lead this team on and off the ice."
Blue Jackets captain Boone Jenner (38) is expected to make his season debut Saturday.
Marchenko will be wearing a protective plastic shield attached to his helmet and visor upon his return, but the fact he's expected to play at all is remarkable. Not all jaw fractures are the same, but often that type of injury sidelines players for six weeks or more. It's been roughly three weeks since he was struck in the jaw by a puck while sitting on the bench in Dallas , where he needed surgery a day later to repair the damage.
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During practice Friday, Marchenko looked like himself on the ice while scoring a beautiful goal with a one-timer during work with the Jackets' top power play group.
"It says something about doctors and trainers and what the guys are doing, as far as strength guys, too," Evason said. "We're all support people and the players need some support to get on the ice after injuries, but ultimately ... everybody's different. Everybody comes off injuries differently, but to have 'Marchy' a possibility for (Saturday) is exciting for us."
Marchenko, the Jackets' second-leading scorer behind Werenski, skated in his usual roles at this week's practices. He worked on the right wing with the top forward line, pairing with center Adam Fantilli and left wing Dmitri Voronkov , and manned the left wing for the top power play unit.
Blue Jackets forward Kirill Marchenko is coming back from a broken jaw.
Fabbro, also injured Feb. 2 in Dallas, skated on the right side of the top defensive pairing in his return to practices this week. He'll pair with Werenski, whose vacant spot on the left side of that pairing was temporarily handled by Jack Johnson .
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Assuming all three return to the Blue Jackets' lineup Saturday against the Blackhawks, it should provide a needed boost in both talent and morale heading into the season's final stretch with Columbus just one point outside a playoff spot.
"Each game's a big one for us," Jenner said. "It's super tight right now as it stands, and it's only going to be tighter and tighter, and these games will mean more and more, as you come down the stretch. The job the guys have done to get ourselves in this position has been outstanding, and it's going to take more from all of us to get where we want to be by the end of the regular season."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets expect to get 3 key players back from injury
