Pair Of Golden Knights Forwards Returning To The Lineup

Ivan Barbashev and Brett Howden will return to the Vegas Golden Knights lineup tonight after missing Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins for personal reasons. 

The Golden Knights were defeated by the Penguins in overtime, 3-2 after Noah Hanifin scored the equalizer with seven seconds remaining. The Golden Knights carried the play for most of the night despite missing two key forwards in Barbashev and Howden.

Both forwards will return to the lineup tonight and will skate together alongside Keegan Kolesar. Exiting the lineup will be Cole Schwindt and Jonas Rondbjerg. 

Barbashev and Howden were paired together on Feb. 27 against the Chicago Blackhawks and clicked instantly. They mesh well offensively, providing north-south oriented offence and are defensively responsible, allowing them to play against any of the opposition's lines. 

Howden is enjoying a career year, scoring 17 goals and 13 points in 62 games. If he continues to score at this pace, the 26-year-old could set a career-high in goals that eclipses his previous career-high in points. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets enter tonight's game feeling confident, holding the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. When Sean Monahan went down with an injury, many believed the Blue Jackets' chances of making the playoffs were dwindling, but the emergence of Adam Fantilli and stepping up of Kirill Marchenko, Dmitri Voronkov, and Kent Johnson has kept the Blue Jackets afloat. 

Slowing down Zach Werenski will be another difficult task. The 27-year-old has scored 20 goals and 69 points in 63 games. 

The Blue Jackets have struggled to keep the puck out of their net, and the Golden Knights should be able to take advantage of that tonight.

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