Blue Jackets vs Sharks

The Blue Jackets and Sharks both come in on one-game losing skids, but Columbus has quietly gone 4-1-1 in its last six while San Jose just had a three-game win streak snapped in a 7-3 home loss to Tampa Bay, and that recent form tilt matters with identical 43-point records through 41 games on each side. Columbus is dealing with middle‑six and depth losses (Miles Wood and Brendan Smith on IR, several other depth pieces banged up), yet their core is intact and rolling: Werenski is on a five-game multipoint tear and leads the team in scoring, while Kirill Marchenko and Mason Marchment have combined for ten goals over the past six games, and Jet Greaves has stabilized the crease with markedly better numbers since December. San Jose’s high-end talent is even flashier — Macklin Celebrini is third in the league in points and drives over half of the Sharks’ goals — but the roster confirmed on ESPN is severely thinned by injuries to Will Smith, Philipp Kurashev, Adam Gaudette and multiple regular defensemen, which stretches their depth behind the Celebrini line and a leaky blue line that already bleeds chances. Historically, Columbus has handled this matchup well (5-0-1 in the last six, including last year’s 4-1 home win) even if the most recent trip to the Tank ended in a 2-1 OT loss, and with both teams clinging to the edge of the playoff picture, the Jackets’ more complete defensive group and healthier top four on the back end give them a slight but real edge despite the travel. At -125 on the road, I see modest value in Columbus’s moneyline given their current push toward a wild-card race and the Sharks’ injury-hit support cast, but the Jackets’ tendency to cough up third-period leads caps the confidence, so I’d grade this play a solid B rather than a slam dunk. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:56

With both teams hovering around three goals for per game and well north of three against — San Jose’s 3.05 GF and 3.54 GA per night and Columbus’s similarly negative goal differential through 41 games — this matchup profiles as anything but a goaltending duel, especially given the combined defensive injuries. The Sharks’ current roster, confirmed via ESPN, still features plenty of finishing talent (Celebrini, Tyler Toffoli, William Eklund, Pavol Regenda, Jeff Skinner), but they’re missing multiple regular defenders (John Klingberg, Vincent Desharnais) plus key two-way forwards such as Will Smith and Kurashev, which has already contributed to high-event games like the recent 7-3 loss to Tampa and a string of 4-3 and 6-5 scorelines. Columbus, meanwhile, gets its best puck-mover back in Werenski and leads the league in goals from defensemen, so their blue line actively pushes pace, and their last few outings — a 5-1 dismantling of Buffalo followed by a 5-4 OT loss to Pittsburgh after blowing another multi-goal lead — underline both their scoring upside and their inability to completely lock teams down in the third. Add in that this is a cross-conference tilt with both clubs sitting on 43 points and needing regulation wins rather than sitting on one-goal leads, and the incentive structure points toward coaching staffs leaning into their strengths (speed and skill) more than nursing a low-event slog. The juice on Over 6.5 at -125 is real, but given San Jose’s porous penalty kill, Columbus’s surging power play and blue-line production, and the way both teams’ recent games have tilted toward track meets, I’d rate Over 6.5 as my favorite angle on the board with a B+ grade for both likelihood and payout relative to risk. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:56

Even while I lean to Columbus on the moneyline, the structure of this matchup and both teams’ recent histories make San Jose +1.5 on the puckline the safer way to attack the spread, despite the steep -225 price. Columbus has been living on the edge in one-goal games; that 4-1-1 stretch includes multiple contests where they built two-goal leads only to let New Jersey and Pittsburgh claw back in the third, a pattern that underscores how fragile their game management remains even when they’re carrying play. On the Sharks’ side, the active roster confirmed on ESPN still has a strong top six and multiple scoring threats even with Smith, Kurashev and several defensemen out, and recent results show they can stay inside a goal against quality opposition — from a 4-3 shootout win over Minnesota to hanging three on Tampa even in a lopsided defeat. The head-to-head trend line also tilts toward tight margins in San Jose: while Columbus has gone 5-0-1 in the last six overall, their most recent trip to the Tank ended in a 2-1 overtime loss, and with both teams locked at 43 points in the standings and chasing wild-card spots, a late empty-net scenario or another blown lead is very much in play. Given the combination of Columbus’s road spot, their third-period volatility, San Jose’s home-ice push and the broader league tendency for cross-conference games to finish within a goal, I prefer grabbing the Sharks at +1.5 goals and swallowing the expensive number, grading this puckline option a B- for its high likelihood of cashing but relatively limited upside. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 06/01/2026 09:56