Laine, 24, has missed the last seven contests with a sprained ankle suffered on November 12 at the NY Islanders. He has registered two goals and two assists for four points with four penalty minutes and 29 shots in eight games with Columbus in 2022-23. The 6-5, 205-pound native of Tampere, Finland has totaled 178-153-331 in 415 career games with the Blue Jackets and Winnipeg Jets since making his NHL debut in 2016-17. He was originally selected second overall by the Jets at the 2016 NHL Draft and was acquired in a trade by the Blue Jackets on Jan. 23, 2021.
Merzlikins, 28, has missed the past six games with a hip injury suffered on November 15 vs. Philadelphia. He has posted a 2-5-0 record with a 4.74 goals-against average and .864 save percentage in nine contests with Columbus this season. He is 50-49-20 with a 3.00 GAA, .910 SV% and nine shutouts in 129 career games since making his NHL debut in 2019-20. The 6-3, 183-pound native of Riga, Latvia was selected by the Blue Jackets in the third round, 76th overall, at the 2014 NHL Draft.
Tarasov, 23, has gone 2-3-1 with a 3.17 GAA and .912 SV% in seven games with the Blue Jackets this season, including stopping 30-of-31 shots in a 5-1 win to record his first career NHL victory on October 23 at the NY Rangers. The 6-5, 196-pound netminder has gone 2-5-1 with a 2.92 GAA and .921 SV% in 11 career games since making his NHL debut in 2021-22. A native of Novokuznetsk, Russia, he is 11-5-3 with a 3.13 GAA and .893 SV% in 19 career games with the Monsters since making his North American pro debut at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, including a 2-0-0 record with a 3.48 GAA in two contests in 2022-23. He was selected by Columbus in the third round, 86th overall, at the 2017 NHL Draft.
