Sillinger has one goal over five games since he returned from missing one contest due to an illness. It's unclear what is keeping the 21-year-old from the lineup Wednesday -- the team did not immediately provide a reason for his absence. Columbus will dress seven defensemen for this contest.

This is a team coming out of its rebuild and into its build phase. It has the potential to contend as it matures and as the roster is further tweaked.

Related: Columbus Blue Jackets (51 pts) vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (62 pts) Game Preview. Projected Lineup **Lines Subject to Change Prior to gametime. Dmitri Voronkov - Adam Fantill

Columbus Blue Jackets forward Cole Sillinger (illness) will hop back into the lineup for Saturday's clash against St. Louis. Sillinger sat out Saturday's meeting with Seattle due to an illness. His absence allowed his older brother,

Scores in return to lineup

The Blue Jackets, playing without two of their top-three centers, relied instead on their farm system to help make quick work of the Kraken.

Captain Boone Jenner (shoulder), center Sean Monahan (wrist), forward Justin Danforth (lower body) and alternate captain Erik Gudbranson (shoulder) sat next to top prospect Cayden Lindstrom (back), while center Cole Sillinger (illness) and defenseman Jack Johnson (illness) watched elsewhere.

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Adam Fantilli and Cole Sillinger scored, and Jet Greaves narrowly missed his first career shutout as the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the St. Louis Blues 2-1 on Saturday night for their fourth win in a row. Fantilli notched his third goal ...

The Blue Jackets are still 10-3-2 in their last 15, so it’s fair to say this is a matchup of two of the hotter teams in the NHL, placing fourth (Columbus) and seventh (Toronto) in the NHL in points since Dec. 19.

Size, strength, experience and skill on faceoffs gave the Islanders a decided edge over the Blue Jackets: 3 takeways

Kent Johnson scored for the Blue Jackets (22-18-7), who had their seven-game point streak end (6-0-1). Elvis Merzlikins made 22 saves.

This was the sort of effort which, if the Islanders could replicate it consistently, makes them look like a playoff contender.