Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Four points in finale
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Werenski produced two goals and two assists in Tuesday's 6-3 win over the Hurricanes.
The blueliner had at least one point in each period and helped set up Luca Del Bel Belluz for the 20-year-old's first career goal as well as Johnny Gaudreau's game-winner. Werenski had five multi-point efforts in his final 14 games of the campaign, and his big performance in the Blue Jackets' finale gave him his sixth career season season with double-digit goals. The 26-year-old wraps up 2023-24 with 11 goals and 57 points in 70 contests.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Produces three points in win
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Werenski scored twice and added an assist in Saturday's 6-2 win over the Flyers.
With the game still within reach for the Flyers, Werenski fired a snap shot into the back of the net on the power play in the third period. His ninth goal of 2023-24 gave his team a five-goal lead less than two minutes later. He also added an assist, two shots on net and an even rating in 22:24 of ice time. This has been the most productive Werenski has been on the scoresheet in his career, providing 52 points in only 65 games.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Goal, assist in shootout win
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Werenski tallied a goal and an assist in Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory over Pittsburgh.
Werenski picked up both points in the third period, setting up a Kirill Marchenko tally before beating Alex Nedeljkovic with a wrister later in the frame to tie the game 3-3. The 26-year-old Werenski has been on a nice run of late, tallying three goals and eight points in his last six contests. He's up to seven goals and 48 points, which matches his career high, through 62 games this season.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: One of each in loss
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Werenski scored a goal and added an assist, both on the power play, in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Coyotes.
Werenski added four shots on net but also took a minus-3 rating. The 26-year-old defenseman hadn't scored a power-play goal since March 5, 2022 -- he played just 13 games last season and has had some poor luck this year. Overall, he's put together a solid campaign on a weak team, posting 46 points, 177 shots on net, 115 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating through 60 appearances.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Deals assist in loss
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Werenski put up an assist, two shots on goal and three blocked shots in Saturday's 4-2 loss to the Golden Knights.
Werenski set up an Erik Gudbranson tally in the first period. Over the last six games, Werenski has a goal and five assists. The defenseman is up to 44 points, 173 shots on net, 114 blocked shots and a plus-1 rating through 59 appearances, impressive work on a team that's both struggled to score and has gotten scored on frequently.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Good to go Friday
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Werenski (lower body) will play Friday against the Avalanche, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Werenski was injured Tuesday against Detroit but won't be forced to miss any additional action. The 26-year-old blueliner has 43 points in 57 games this season, including 10 over his last 11 appearances. He'll skate in a top-pair role Friday.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Questionable Friday
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Werenski (lower body) didn't practice Thursday, raising doubts regarding his availability against Colorado on Friday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Werenski was reportedly hurt after blocking a shot against Detroit on Tuesday, per Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch. Offensively, Werenski has been rolling of late with one goal and eight assists, including two power-play points, in his last 10 outings. Unless Adam Boqvist (upper body) is cleared to play, the Jackets will need to bring up a defenseman from AHL Cleveland if Werenski can't go against the Avalanche.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Three points in OT loss
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Werenski scored a goal and added two assists, one on the power play, in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Red Wings.
The 26-year-old blueliner opened the scoring early in the first period before helping set up tallies by Alexandre Texier and Kirill Marchenko. Werenski has a goal and 10 points over the last 11 games, and on the season he's up to 43 points (five goals, 38 assists) in 57 contests. If he stays locked in down the stretch, Werenski has a shot at recording his first career 50-point campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Strong in Saturday's win
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Werenski registered a pair of assists, three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-4 rating in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Blackhawks.
Werenski set up tallies by Boone Jenner and Mathieu Olivier in the contest. This was Werenski's second multi-point effort in the last six games, and he has five points in that span. The 26-year-old defenseman has been steady on the top pairing this season, racking up 36 points, 130 shots on net, 93 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 48 appearances.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Two goals in win
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Werenski scored a pair of goals in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the Ducks.
Werenski opened the scoring 3:32 into the first period, swatting a puck out of the air past John Gibson before adding a second tally later in the frame. The 26-year-old Werenski has three goals and eight points in nine outings since his return from a 10-game absence with an ankle sprain. He's up to 33 points (four goals, 29 assists) through 43 games this season while averaging 24:18 of ice time on Columbus' top defensive pairing.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Buries goal Saturday
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Werenski scored a goal on five shots and blocked three shots in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Sharks.
Werenski has been steady since he returned from an ankle injury, producing a goal and five assists over seven contests. The 26-year-old defenseman hadn't scored since Oct. 20. Werenski has 31 points, 114 shots on net, 71 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 41 outings overall as the Blue Jackets' top blueliner.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Assists in consecutive outings
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Werenski produced a power-play assist and two shots on goal in Saturday's 5-4 overtime loss to the Canucks.
Werenski has a helper in each of his two games since he returned from an ankle injury. The defenseman has immediately retaken his spot on the top pairing and first power-play unit as the Blue Jackets' top blueliner. He's at 27 points (six on the power play), 91 shots on net, 60 blocked shots and a plus-4 rating through 36 appearances. Werenski should be active in most fantasy formats despite his lackluster team situation.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Earns helper in return
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Werenski notched an assist, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-3 rating in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Flames.
It didn't take Werenski long to get on the scoresheet following his 10-game absence with an ankle injury. He set up Yegor Chinakhov's opening tally at 2:50 of the first period. Werenski is no stranger to bad injury luck, but he's generally held up pretty well this season. He's at one goal, 25 assists, 89 shots on net, 60 blocked shots and a plus-5 rating through 35 appearances. Expect the 26-year-old to play on the top pairing and first power-play unit going forward.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Ready to rock
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Werenski (ankle) has been activated off injured reserve and will return to the lineup Thursday versus Calgary, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Werenski has missed the last 10 games with a high-ankle sprain, but he's expected to skate on the top pairing and No. 1 power-play unit Thursday rather than be eased into the lineup. Werenski's picked up 25 points through 34 contests this campaign.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Closing in on return
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Werenski (ankle) isn't expected to play Tuesday versus Edmonton, but he could return to action as soon as Thursday against the Flames, Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site reports.
Werenski's absence will likely extend to 10 games Tuesday, but it sounds like he could return to his featured role skating on the top pairing and No. 1 power-play unit versus Calgary. The 26-year-old blueliner has picked up 25 points through 34 contests this season.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Out 4-6 weeks
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Werenski (ankle) will miss the next 4-6 weeks, according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic.
Werenski was injured in the second period of Columbus' 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey on Wednesday. He leads the team in average ice time (24:04) and is tied for first on the Blue Jackets in scoring with 25 points, so this is a big loss for them. He was replaced on the first power-play unit by Ivan Provorov on Friday in a 6-5 overtime win over the Maple Leafs.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Dealing with ankle injury
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Werenski is officially week-to-week with an ankle injury, the team announced Friday.
Werenski was already expected to be unavailable for the next three games following his placement on injured reserve but this update from the team would seem to indicate he could be facing a prolonged absence. With Werenski unavailable, David Jiricek figures to see the biggest uptick in ice time while Ivan Provorov will likely replace Werenski on the No. 1 power-play unit.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Surfaces on IR
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Werenski (lower body) has been placed on injured reserve, per the NHL media site.
Now that he's on IR, Werenski will miss Columbus' next three games at a minimum. However, according to coach Pascal Vincent, the defender is "more likely week-to-week than day-to-day," per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site, suggesting Werenski will likely miss more than three contests with his lower-body issue. David Jiricek could be elevated to a top-pairing role during Werenski's absence.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Set to miss out
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Werenski (lower body) is still being evaluated but is closer to week-to-week than day-to-day according to coach Pascal Vincent, per Jeff Svoboda of the Blue Jackets' official site.
Based on Werenski's timeline, he won't be an option for at least the back-to-back against Toronto and Buffalo on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The Michigan native has racked up 25 points in 33 games this season and should be capable of reaching the 40-point threshold for the fifth time in his NHL career, assuming he isn't sidelined long term. David Jiricek could see the biggest increase in playing time while Werenski is out.
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Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski: Injured versus Devils
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Werenski (lower body) won't return to Wednesday's game versus the Devils.
Werenski got tangled with a Devils player in the second period and appeared to get the worst of it. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg when he left the ice. More details about Werenski's injury should surface prior to Friday's game versus the Maple Leafs.
