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The Columbus Blue Jackets head to Bell Centre on Thursday night for a 7:00 p.m. ET matchup with the Montreal Canadiens in one of the tighter games on the NHL board. Columbus enters at 38-22-11 and has climbed to second place in the Metropolitan Division, while Montreal is 39-21-10 and sitting third in the Atlantic. ESPN+ carries the stream, and this feels like a real playoff-style game even before the postseason starts because the standings pressure is obvious on both sides.
Columbus is still one of the hottest teams in the league since the coaching change in January, and the Blue Jackets have been stacking points with a style that travels well. Montreal has been almost as dangerous at home, though, and the Canadiens have quietly turned Bell Centre back into a real edge after a mediocre first half there. The market reflects that balance, with Montreal installed as a small home favorite and the total sitting at 6.5.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens Odds
These are the current betting lines, and bettors should always monitor the latest NHL odds before puck drop because goalie news can still shift a price like this, even if the market has mostly held steady around Montreal as a slight favorite.
| Team | Moneyline | Puck Line | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Columbus Blue Jackets | +102 | +1.5 (-250) | O 6.5 (-108) |
| Montreal Canadiens | -122 | -1.5 (+205) | U 6.5 (-112) |
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Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Form
Columbus has earned a lot of respect from bettors over the last two months. The Blue Jackets were 19-19-7 when Rick Bowness took over, and since then they have ripped off a 19-3-4 run that completely changed their season. Zach Werenski is driving everything from the back end, and his recent form has been ridiculous. He has nine points in his last five games, and Columbus keeps getting enough secondary offense around him from players like Adam Fantilli, Mason Marchment, and Kirill Marchenko. If you want the broader snapshot, the Blue Jackets stats and results page tells the same story: this is not a soft streak built on luck alone.
What I like most from a betting angle is that Columbus is not surviving on one narrow script. The Blue Jackets generate close to 30 shots per game, they are allowing only 29.1, and over the last 10 games they have been defending even better than their season numbers suggest. Their power play is good enough, not elite at 20.1 percent, but the bigger story is how often they tilt games at five-on-five and keep pressure on teams for long stretches. That usually matters more in a road spot like this than people think.
The one thing bettors need to track closely is the goaltending decision. Columbus had not fully locked in its starter in the official preview, with Jet Greaves or Elvis Merzlikins both still in the picture, and that does matter because Greaves has posted the better season line. Availability is cleaner elsewhere, with Brendan Smith the main absence, so the Blue Jackets injury report is still worth checking before puck drop even if this is not a team dealing with the same kind of nightly uncertainty some others are.
Montreal Canadiens Betting Form
Montreal is in a strong spot too, and the Canadiens have been excellent at home for a while now. They are 39-21-10 overall, they have won three of their last four, and they are 11-4-1 at Bell Centre since January 1 after a pretty uneven first half on home ice. They also keep showing real comeback ability, which is maybe a little nerve-racking if you are laying a price, but it does speak to how live their offense remains for all 60 minutes. The Canadiens schedule and stats page reflects a team that has become a much tougher home bet against lately.
From a pure matchup standpoint, Montreal’s offensive ceiling is a serious problem for Columbus. The Canadiens are scoring 3.53 goals per game, their power play is clicking at 25.0 percent, and the top line built around Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield has been productive enough to punish even small mistakes. Montreal is not a volume-shooting team in the same way Columbus is, but it tends to create dangerous looks and can flip a game quickly, which is why so many of its recent wins have featured swings in momentum.
There are still a couple of concerns. Montreal gave up 42 shots to Carolina on Tuesday before winning 5-2, so this is not exactly a spotless defensive team right now, and the penalty kill sits at 76.3 percent on the season. The likely goalie appears to be Jakub Dobes, but that was not fully confirmed early in the day, so bettors should monitor the Canadiens injury report and goalie confirmation closer to game time. Kirby Dach and Patrik Laine remain out, and those absences still trim some finishing depth even if the top of the lineup keeps producing.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens Matchup Breakdown
This game is fascinating because both teams come in with a legitimate argument. Columbus has the better recent body of work overall and a slightly cleaner defensive profile. Montreal has the home ice edge, the better season-long power play, and a recent run at Bell Centre that is hard to ignore. If you are working through side, total, and derivative markets, this is the type of matchup where a solid NHL betting guide helps because small differences in pace and special teams really do matter.
At five-on-five, I think Columbus has the cleaner profile. The Blue Jackets are generating more shot volume, they are a little steadier defensively, and Werenski gives them the best single all-around skater in this matchup. Montreal’s offense is dangerous, but it can spend stretches without much territorial control, and that can be a problem against a Columbus team that has been comfortable dictating play. The first meeting also went Columbus’ way, and even though one head-to-head result is not everything, it does fit the broader stylistic read here.
The special teams angle leans a bit toward Montreal because the Canadiens have the stronger power play and Columbus is only middle of the pack on the penalty kill. That is the part that keeps me from getting too aggressive on the Blue Jackets if Merzlikins starts instead of Greaves. Still, Montreal’s own penalty kill has been vulnerable, so there is no obvious special-teams mismatch strong enough to cancel out the rest of the handicap. For bettors thinking bigger-picture futures while watching late-season results like this, the Stanley Cup betting guide is useful context too, because these playoff-race games often preview how teams want to play in April.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs Montreal Canadiens Predictions and Best Bets
My lean is Columbus on the moneyline. That is mostly about price. If these teams were both being offered in the same range on neutral ice, I would still have more interest in Columbus because the Blue Jackets have been the better team over the larger recent sample, and they are doing it in ways that tend to hold up from game to game. The plus-money tag makes that even more appealing.
I get the case for Montreal. Home form matters, the Canadiens are dangerous offensively, and Bell Centre has become a much tougher place to steal points. But I still think the market is giving a little too much weight to that home split and not quite enough to how complete Columbus has looked since mid-January. The Jackets are not merely hot. They have been controlling games, defending better, and getting high-end play from Werenski almost every night.
The total is a bit tougher. Six and a half feels fair. Montreal can drag games into offense because of its top-end skill and power play, but Columbus has been defending well enough that I do not love chasing the over at this number. If Greaves gets the nod, I would lean slightly under. If Merzlikins starts and Dobes is confirmed for Montreal, then the game becomes more volatile and I would probably stay off the total altogether.
There is also a case for Columbus +1.5 in parlays, but the straight moneyline is where the value lives. The Blue Jackets are giving bettors a real plus price despite being one of the league’s best teams over the last two months, and that is enough for me in a matchup this close.
Best Bet: Columbus Blue Jackets moneyline (+102).
NHL Picks and Handicappers on ScoresAndStats
If you are building out the full Thursday card, this is the kind of game where it helps to compare more than one opinion before betting. Checking today’s NHL picks alongside the NHL previews hub gives you a better sense of where the strongest side and total angles are across the board, not just in this matchup.
It also helps to follow people with transparent results instead of random opinions. ScoresAndStats lets you compare top sports handicappers, track who is actually producing on the handicapper leaderboard, and sort through different betting styles depending on whether you prefer sides, totals, or a more aggressive card-building approach.
And if you want stronger conviction plays instead of browsing free content, the premium NHL picks section is the direct route. That mix of volume, transparency, and daily NHL coverage is a big part of what makes the site useful when the playoff race starts tightening and every number gets a little sharper.
