Erik Gudbranson will return from an upper-body injury and Jet Greaves will get back in net for the Blue Jackets (3-3-0) when they host the Washington Capitals (5-2-0) on Oct. 24 at Nationwide Arena.

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

The game will start the Blue Jackets’ first of 15 back-to-back sets, which means goalie Elvis Merzlikins will likely start the finale Oct. 25 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena. It’s a key early Metropolitan Division double dip after the Blue Jackets just pulled even at .500 with wins over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars in their previous two games.

Gudbranson has missed four games since being injured on his first shift of the third period in a 7-4 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Oct. 11 at Grand Casino Arena. His return bumps Jake Christiansen from the lineup and moves Dante Fabbro, a right-handed shot, to the left side of the Blue Jackets’ third defensive pairing.

Logan Thompson will start for the Capitals, who won’t have former Blue Jackets center Pierre-Luc Dubois due to a lower-body injury.

Here are the TV and radio broadcast options for the Blue Jackets’ game against the Stars at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. 

Puck drop: 7 p.m. ET 

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Columbus via cable, streaming services and FanDuel Sports Network app; broadcast starts at 6:30 p.m. with a pregame show; Steve Mears on play-by-play, former Blue Jackets forward Jody Shelley with analysis, Dave Maetzold reporting, former Blue Jackets defenseman Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre with pregame, intermission and postgame analysis and Brian Giesenschlag hosting.

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

DraftKings says the Blue Jackets are underdogs on home ice -105 to the favored Capitals (-115); FanDuel gives Columbus -118 underdog status and favored Washington -102 on the money line; BetMgM has the money line set at -105 for the Jackets -115 for the Capitals.

Columbus Blue Jackets vs Washington Capitals matchup

According to Natural Stat Trick, the Capitals have 5-on-5 edges in attempts (57% to 50%), unblocked attempts (55% to 49%), shots (58% to 49%), expected goals-for percentage (61% to 48%) and scoring chances (61% to 51%), high-danger scoring chances (68% to 45%) and high-danger goals (86% to 71%). The Blue Jackets’ lone statistical edge is goals-for percentage (68% to 67%).

Columbus also has a slight edge on the power play (20% to 18.2%), while Washington’s penalty killing is better (70.6% to 60%).

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

Columbus Blue Jackets lineup at Dallas Stars

Forwards

Dmitri Voronkov – Sean Monahan – Kirill Marchenko 

Boone Jenner – Adam Fantilli – Kent Johnson 

Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Mathieu Olivier 

Zach Aston-Reese – Isac Lundeström – Yegor Chinakhov 

Defensemen

Zach Werenski – Denton Mateychuk  

Ivan Provorov – Damon Severson 

Dante Fabbro – Erik Gudbranson

Goalies

Jet Greaves

Elvis Merzlikins 

Scratched: D Jake Christiansen

Injured: Miles Wood (eye)

Washington Capitals lineup at Columbus Blue Jackets

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

Forwards

Alex Ovechkin – Dylan Strome – Anthony Beauvillier

Aliaksei Protas – Justin Sourdif – Ryan Leonard 

Hendrix Lapierre – Connor McMichael – Tom Wilson 

Brandon Duhaime – Nic Dowd – Ethen Frank

Defensemen

Martin Fehervary – John Carlson

Jakob Chychrun – Matt Roy

Declan Chisholm – Trevor van Riemsdyk

Goalies

Logan Thompson 

Charlie Lindgren

Scratched: LW Sonny Milano, D Dylan McILrath

Injured: Pierre-Luc Dubois (lower body), D Rasmus Sandin (upper body)

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