Red Wings vs Blue Jackets

Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond roll into Nationwide Arena fresh off snapping Detroit’s four-game winless skid, and that rejuvenated top-six scoring makes the Red Wings at 100 an appealing moneyline underdog against a Columbus team that just ended its own four-game slide but is still missing key pieces. With Boone Jenner on injured reserve and Erik Gudbranson and Mathieu Olivier sidelined, the Blue Jackets’ spine down the middle and on the back end is thinner than usual, even if Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko are close to returning, which softens their matchup advantage at home. Columbus has had the better of this series lately, including a Stadium Series win and a 5-2 road victory in Detroit last season, but the most recent meeting was a 4-3 Red Wings overtime win and three of the last four have been one-goal games, suggesting the gap between these rosters is narrower than the current price implies. If Detroit leans on the hotter of its two goalies and gets even average defending in front of Moritz Seider, its higher-end finishing gives the road side just enough edge to justify a play at 100 despite Columbus’ improved penalty kill and home-ice push. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/12/2025 09:41am

With Detroit allowing 30 goals in its last seven games and Columbus coming off a 5-3, fight-filled win in New Jersey, the ingredients are in place for a track meet that leans Over 6.5 at 100 rather than siding with the juiced Under. The Red Wings’ profile is classic high-event hockey: near three goals for per night, over three and a third against, a top-10-ish power play and a goaltending tandem where John Gibson’s subpar early numbers have forced them to win more 4-3 and 5-4 types of games than coach Todd McLellan would like. On the other side, the Jackets are getting a huge offensive push from Zach Werenski and Denton Mateychuk on the blue line, and even with Jenner out they’ve spread scoring through Adam Fantilli, Monahan and Marchenko, which should stress a leaky Detroit defensive structure. Recent head-to-heads have routinely cleared six goals (5-3, 5-2, 5-4, 4-3), and with both benches riding emotional, offense-forward efforts in their last outing and neither crease truly locked down, the Over 6.5 at 100 earns a solid value/likelihood combo. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/12/2025 09:41am

Given how tight this matchup has been and how many variables cut both ways, the safest spread angle is Detroit +1.5 at -240, even if the price tag keeps the grade in the C+ range rather than something higher. Columbus’ injuries down the middle and on the back end reduce its ability to pull away, while Detroit’s own defensive issues and occasional goaltending volatility make it hard to project multiple-goal dominance for the underdog either, which is exactly why recent meetings have so often landed on a one-goal margin. With both squads having just stopped four-game winless stretches and still searching for consistency, this sets up as another tightly contested, playoff-style Eastern clash where the Jackets’ home-ice push and aggressive forecheck can be offset by Detroit’s more dangerous first line and power play. That combination makes a one-goal game in either direction the most likely outcome, and capturing both of those results with the +1.5 puckline—while understanding the limited payout—remains the most rational spread position. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 04/12/2025 09:41am