The Blue Jackets arrive in Salt Lake City for their first game against Utah this season, one night after knocking off the Golden Knights in Vegas, 2-1, in overtime
LAS VEGAS -- It's a short card for Friday night, and I'm focused on the game in Salt Lake City, as the battle between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Utah Hockey Club has incredible value with one specific aspect.
I won't be playing the game in this one, nor will I touch the total. The Jackets arrive after winning in Vegas last night, but that doesn't mean I want to lay a big price with Utah or a puck line.
I'm also not sure if we'll see a low-scoring game or if Utah forces the Jackets who just held Vegas to one goal into a high-scoring game.
Let's do a deep dive into this one:
WHY COLUMBUS: Though they played last night in Vegas, the Jackets are playing a with confident chip on their shoulders after improving to 4-2-1 in their last seven road games. Columbus has opened 2025 with a winning ledger, having posted a 9-3-1 record (19 points) over its first 13 games since the calendar turn.
WHY UTAH: Prior to the franchise's move to Salt Lake City, it owned the Blue Jackets with four straight wins when it was the Arizona Coyotes. Utah has met 28 of the NHL’s 31 other clubs but has yet to play Columbus, Detroit and Tampa Bay this season. Catching the Jackets on the second leg of a back-to-back is much different when it's in high-altitude Salt Lake City than in Phoenix.
All betting lines are from Bet365 and are subject to change. Hockey is a difficult sport to predict so please gamble responsibly.
THE PICK: OVER 1P -135 -- The Jackets won't want to come out sluggish after last night's win, and will be hungry to set the tone. And since they allowed the opening goal for the first time in their last five games, I expect them to put plenty of shots on goal in the first 20. Columbus has outscored its opponents 54-36 in the first period this season. Flipside, Utah will welcome an uptempo start in this one, as it'll hope the Jackets will have weary legs and short of breath. Utah has also owned its first periods, outscoring teams 44-30. Look for high-scoring first period.
(Season Record: 14-20-1, Net: -785$, based on 100$ units)