Miles Wood will return to the Blue Jackets’ lineup Oct. 28 against the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center, but Yegor Chinakhov isn’t the one coming out to make room.

Chinakhov, who began the season outside the playing mix, will log his sixth straight game while forward Zach Aston-Reese sits as a healthy scratch. Wood, acquired from the Colorado Avalanche along with center Charlie Coyle during a summer trade, returns after missing five games with an eye injury caused by a high stick Oct. 13 against the New Jersey Devils.

More: Columbus Blue Jackets’ Miles Wood returns to practice ‘happy that I have two eyes still’

Chinakhov, who has requested a trade due to frustration with coach Dean Evason over his ice time and usage, has helped the Blue Jackets’ fourth line become more dangerous offensively since making his season debut as Wood’s replacement. He has two points on a goal and assist after getting on the scoresheet in two of the past three games, including a goal in the Jackets’ 5-4 shootout win Oct. 25 in Pittsburgh.

Jet Greaves gets the goaltending star for the Blue Jackets (4-4-0), who’ll open their second straight back-to-back set on the road against the Sabres (4-4-1) before returning for the finale against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 29 at Nationwide Arena.

Here are the TV and radio broadcasts for the Blue Jackets’ game against the Sabres. 

Puck drop: 6:45 p.m. ET 

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Columbus on cable, streaming services and the FanDuel Sports Network app; broadcast starts at 6 p.m. with a pregame show hosted by Dave Maetzold and Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre; Steve Mears handles play-by-play, Jody Shelley with analysis.

Radio: 97.1 FM The Fan, stations throughout Ohio/West Virginia via the Blue Jackets Radio Network, Columbus Blue Jackets app; Bob McElligott on play-by-play, Dylan Tyrer has pregame and postgame shows.

FanDuel has the Blue Jackets as slight underdogs at -102 to the favored Sabres (-118); DraftKings has Columbus at -100 and Buffalo at -120 on the moneyline; BetMgM has the money line at +100 for the Blue Jackets and -120 for the Sabres.

Columbus Blue Jackets at Buffalo Sabres: matchup

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Blue Jackets have posted higher percentages in attempts (53.4% to 49.4%), unblocked attempts (53.1% to 48.4%), shots (53.4% to 48.2%), goals-for percentage (60% to 41.9%), expected goals (50.96% to 47.1%), scoring chances (53.3% to 47.1%), high-danger chances (49.4% to 48.9%) and high-danger goals (69.2% to 44%).

Buffalo ranks higher on each specialty. The Sabres rank 10th in the NHL on power plays at 7 for 30 (23.3%) to just 3 for 20 (15%) for the 27th ranked Blue Jackets, and the difference is even larger while short-handed. Buffalo leads the NHL in killing penalties at 31 for 33 (93.9%) while Columbus remains last in the league (32nd) on PKs at 17 for 28 (60.7%).

Here’s how the Blue Jackets and Sabres are projected to lineup:

Columbus Blue Jackets lineup at Buffalo Sabres

Here is how the Blue Jackets are expected to line up in Buffalo, where Wood makes his return to the lineup after missing five games with a scary eye injury.

Forwards

Dmitri Voronkov – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko 

Boone Jenner – Adam Fantilli – Kent Johnson 

Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Mathieu Olivier 

Yegor Chinakhov – Isac Lundeström – Miles Wood

Defensemen

Zach Werenski – Denton Mateychuk  

Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson 

Dante Fabbro – Erik Gudbranson

Goalies

Jet Greaves

Elvis Merzlikins

Scratched: D Jake Christiansen, F Zach Aston-Reese

Injured: None

Buffalo Sabres lineup vs Columbus Blue Jackets

Here’s how the Sabres are expected to line up against the Blue Jackets:

Forwards

Zach Benson – Jiri Kulich – Tage Thompson

Josh Doan – Ryan McLeod – Alex Tuch 

Jason Zucker – Noah Ostlund – Jack Quinn 

Josh Dunne – Peyton Krebs – Beck Malenstyn

Defensemen

Mattias Samuelsson – Rasmus Dahlin

Owen Power – Conor Timmins

Bowen Byrum – Michael Kesselring

Goalies

Alex Lyon 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Scratched: LW Mason Geertsen, G Colten Ellis

Injured: LW Jordan Greenway (lower body), C Tyler Kozak (lower body, injured reserve), RW Justin Danforth (lower body, injured reserve), C Josh Norris (upper body, injured reserve), D Jacob Bryson (undisclosed)

Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com and @BrianHedger.bsky.social