Match Facts
ItemDetailGameOttawa Senators at Columbus Blue JacketsVenueNationwide Arena, Columbus, OhioSchedule spotBoth teams coming off home losses and looking to reset in a conference matchupSenators recent formLost five of last six; 4-3 home loss to Devils despite 38 shots and 3-for-3 power playBlue Jackets recent formThree straight losses (0-2-1); 4-1 defeat at Carolina after blowing a 1-0 leadSpecial teams noteOttawa perfect on the power play vs. New Jersey but still struggling at 5-on-5; Columbus opened scoring with a power-play goal in RaleighKey offensive driversOTT: Drake Batherson, Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk. CBJ: Dmitri Voronkov, Sean Monahan, Zach Werenski (30 points in 30 games)
For bettors tracking the whole slate and line moves, this matchup slots into the broader board on the NHL scores and prices page, where you can compare it to every other game on the NHL scores and odds screen.
Line and Odds
Moneyline: Senators projected as a slight road favorite, with Columbus a short home underdog
Puck line: Senators -1.5 at plus money; Blue Jackets +1.5 offering goal protection
Total: 6.5 goals, reflecting two weak defensive profiles and recent offensive flashes on both sides
Movement Matchup
This number is largely about which version of each team shows up. Ottawa have dropped five of six, but the underlying effort has not looked like a total collapse. Batherson is adamant that the Senators have “played pretty solid” over this stretch, and the recent Devils loss backs that up: 38 shots, three power-play goals and extended offensive zone time. The problem is obvious and Stutzle called it out himself: they are not scoring enough at five-on-five.
Columbus are in a different kind of funk. The Blue Jackets had quietly banked points for over a month before the last two regulation losses. In Carolina, they did a lot right for two periods, scored early on the power play and still watched it unravel in the third. Dean Evason’s frustration is about singular errors turning into goals against, which is a familiar story for a team hovering near the bottom of any Eastern Conference pecking order in longer-range projections and futures discussions such as broader NHL conference odds.
The market tends to shade toward the side that looks closer to “fixable.” Ottawa’s issues are more about finishing at even strength and tightening specific mistakes. Columbus are battling systemic leaks plus a mentality problem when they concede that first push back. That is why even with similar records, the Senators can be priced as a slight road favorite in spots like this.
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Breakdown Injury Reports
Ottawa Senators injury report
PlayerStatusNoteKey forwardsExpected to playBatherson, Stutzle, Tkachuk and Cozens all active in the most recent game and driving offenseGoaltendingProjected starterLinus Ullmark coming off a 28-save effort vs. Devils; monitor day-of confirmationSkater depthDay-to-dayNo new injuries were noted in the provided report; any late scratches will impact bottom-six rotation more than the top core
Columbus Blue Jackets injury report
PlayerStatusNoteJet Greaves (G)Recently startedStopped 28 shots in Carolina; could get another look depending on rotationCore defenseExpected to playZach Werenski remains the key driver from the back end with 30 points in 30 gamesForward groupIntact based on infoVoronkov, Monahan and main top-six pieces all available according to the latest notes provided
With no major new injuries in the data provided, this projects as a fairly “true strength” matchup. Any late scratches or goalie changes will be pivotal and are the exact kind of adjustments that get folded into nightly writeups inside the expert NHL betting guide.
Ottawa Senators Recent Performance
Ottawa’s 1-5 stretch reads ugly, but the last three games have looked more like a team that should be grabbing points than a lost cause. Against New Jersey, the Senators generated 38 shots, went 3-for-3 on the power play and had multi-point nights from Batherson and Stutzle. The problem is obvious: they are currently living on the power play. Ottawa have not scored a five-on-five goal since Tkachuk’s third-period strike against Montreal, which is exactly why Stutzle talked about “shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The encouraging part is that the process is not broken. They are getting looks, they are carrying play for stretches and the top guys are still creating. For a team in a slump, you would be far more worried if the chances had dried up. If they can keep this shot volume and clean up a couple of defensive lapses, the results should start resembling what you expect from a club that still has the talent to show up positively in Atlantic-focused breakdowns like NHL Atlantic Division odds.
Columbus Blue Jackets Recent Performance
Columbus are also unhappy with the scoreboard, but the tone around the team is different. The 4-1 loss to Carolina fit a pattern: a solid first 40 minutes, an early lead via Voronkov’s power-play goal, and then a decisive stretch where one mistake turned into the game slipping away. Evason’s comment that they were “doing all the right things” for two periods before a single error led to a goal captures the fragility here.
There are positives. The Blue Jackets had gone more than a month without back-to-back pointless games before this recent skid. Voronkov is cashing in on the power play, Monahan is doing his job as a veteran distributor and Werenski is in the middle of a monster offensive run from the blue line with 14 points in his last 10 contests. That profile is why Columbus still shows flashes in more micro-level divisional discussions such as Metropolitan Division odds, even if their overall record sits near the bottom.
The problem is closing. The Jackets have not consistently turned respectable nights into points. Until they can string together games where they protect leads and avoid the back-breaking error, you have to treat them as a live but unreliable dog.
Betting Insights and Trends
From a betting standpoint, this is a matchup where perception and reality are slightly out of sync. On the surface, you see two struggling teams with bad recent records and ugly goal differentials. Dig one layer deeper and the Senators are playing closer to a “buy low” team than their record suggests, while the Blue Jackets are leaking just enough in key moments to burn tickets.
Ottawa’s reliance on the power play is both a concern and an edge. If Columbus stay disciplined, the Senators will have to finally solve their five-on-five issues to justify a road favorite tag. If the Jackets revert to the loose structure that has cost them late, Ottawa’s top unit is capable of repeating its Devils performance and turning special teams into a decisive advantage.
Columbus’ path is clear: replicate the first two periods in Carolina, tighten up the decision-making that Evason called out, and let weapons like Werenski and Monahan tilt a high-event game at home. With both teams desperate and carrying flaws, this projects closer to a track meet than a chess match, which is why the total is set high and why this game will command attention from totals-focused bettors who also follow league-wide NHL teams profiles.
Best Bets and Prediction
Projected score: Senators 4, Blue Jackets 3
The likeliest script has Ottawa finally breaking through at five-on-five while still leaning on a dangerous power play to get over the top. The Senators are driving enough chances and generating enough looks that some positive regression should be coming, and a Columbus team that has struggled to close games provides the right canvas.
Columbus are absolutely capable of keeping this tight, especially if Werenski’s recent form continues and the Jackets can draw a few penalties of their own. But until they prove they can protect a lead and avoid the single mistake that flips the game, they remain a higher-variance underdog.
The recommended angle is to lean Ottawa on the moneyline with a modest preference to the over on the total. The projection fits a one-goal game that lands in the 7-goal range more often than not, but the stronger edge is backing the side that has a clearer path to fixing its issues in the short term.
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Handicapper section
From a handicapper’s perspective, this matchup is more about reading trajectory than overreacting to raw records. Ottawa’s recent form suggests a team that is closer to turning the corner than the standings show: shot volume is solid, the power play is converting and the top six are still generating chances. Over time, those underlying factors usually translate into wins, which is why you will often find the Senators flagged as a potential value play in detailed nightly breakdowns on the NHL picks page.
Columbus, on the other hand, should be treated as a situational underdog only. The individual pieces are there to spring an upset, and home ice always matters, but their habit of playing well for long stretches and then unraveling in key moments makes them difficult to back consistently. The smart approach is to reserve your exposure for spots where the price is clearly inflated or the schedule favors a max-effort response, rather than forcing a play just because the number looks short.
In this particular game, the sharper, process-driven side is Ottawa. You do not need to overextend your position, but if you are building a card that leans on teams whose recent performance profile looks better than their win–loss record, the Senators fit that mold better than the Jackets.