Brendan Smith, Luca Pinelli to make special debuts for Columbus Blue Jackets; Zach Werenski will play through injury against Toronto Maple Leafs.

It is a good thing for the Ohio State football team that it is not playing Pitt this weekend, because two of the main Columbus, Ohio sports teams had pretty rotten days against teams from Pittsburgh on Friday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets didn't squander an opportunity from the NHL's 'hockey gods' to right their recent collapse against the Edmonton Oilers.

Marchenko (upper body) will remain sidelined for Friday's home game against Pittsburgh, per Mark Scheig of The Hockey Writers.

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube is taking the glass half-full approach and was complimentary of his team’s renewed efforts following a 2-1 overtime victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

BOTTOM LINE: The Columbus Blue Jackets look to end their three-game losing streak when they play the Pittsburgh Penguins. Columbus has gone 11-9-4 overall with a 1-4-1 record against the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets are 5-0-2 in games they score at least one power-play goal.

Smith's road back to the NHL hasn't been easy, but his perseverance has paid off and helped him set an example for those he cares for most.

The Columbus Blue Jackets got a scare on Monday night when Zach Werenski was injured, but they got good news on the star blue liner.