Wild vs Blue Jackets

Kirill Kaprizov and Matthew Boldy lead a Minnesota group riding a five-game winning streak into Nationwide Arena, facing a Columbus team that just snapped an 0-4-1 slide with an overtime win but has been wildly inconsistent at even strength and on the penalty kill. Minnesota’s current form is built on structure and goaltending—Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt have anchored a defense allowing well under three goals per game—while Columbus has struggled to keep pucks out, sitting near the bottom of the league in goals against despite solid individual efforts from Zach Werenski and Adam Fantilli. The Wild blue line is thinned by the absence of Jonas Brodin (on injured reserve) and other recent injuries, but the acquisition of Quinn Hughes plus the two-way work of Joel Eriksson Ek should help them continue to tilt the ice, especially against a Jackets side still missing depth forwards and leaning heavily on its top six. Recent history favors Minnesota too: the Wild have dominated this matchup over the past few seasons, with Boldy, Kaprizov and Gustavsson all posting strong numbers against Columbus, and their special-teams edge (especially on the power play) further narrows the path for a Jackets upset despite home ice. With Minnesota holding the better current form, more reliable goaltending, and the higher-end skater talent even with injuries factored in, I prefer the Wild at -120 on the moneyline; I’d grade this play an A- given the combination of win probability and reasonable price for a road favorite. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/12/2025 09:40am

This total comes down to whether Minnesota’s defensive discipline or Columbus’s leaky back end dictates the tempo, and recent evidence tilts toward a tighter game script that supports the Under 6 at -105. The Wild have been one of the stronger defensive outfits in the league by goals against and penalty-kill efficiency, and their totals profile reflects that, with a heavy lean toward unders despite a recent mini-surge of offense during their winning streak. Columbus, by contrast, has been allowing well over three goals per game and taking too many penalties, but their offense is more middle-of-the-pack than explosive, relying on Fantilli, Werenski and a recently-returned Boone Jenner while getting only sporadic secondary scoring—especially with key depth pieces banged up. Head-to-head, this series has often played on the lower side, with last season’s meetings landing in the three-to-five total goal range and several recent contests in Columbus staying below this number, and even Minnesota’s current injuries on the blue line (Brodin and other regulars out, Carson Lambos stepping in) are partially offset by their strong systems play and goaltending. Factor in that the Wild’s offensive boost from Hughes adds playmaking more than run-and-gun chaos, and a game that falls in the 3-2 or 3-1 neighborhood feels slightly more likely than a full track meet, making the Under 6 at -105 a lean with a B-grade—solid but not elite given Columbus’s defensive volatility. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/12/2025 09:40am

Given a projection for a relatively low-to-moderate scoring game and Minnesota’s tendency to win with structure rather than sheer offensive volume, there’s a reasonable case to take the home side on the puckline with Columbus +1.5 at -250, even while expecting the Wild to take the two points. The Jackets have been competitive in a number of recent losses, with a cluster of one-goal results during their 3-4-3 stretch, and their top-end talent—Fantilli, Werenski, Jenner, Kent Johnson—matches up better at home against a Wild team missing multiple regulars on the back end and elevating younger defensemen into bigger roles. Minnesota has certainly shown they can blow teams out, as their recent 6-2 and 5-0 wins attest, but their broader profile and the historical series against Columbus include plenty of tight games (including last season’s 3-2 decision), and the Wild’s strong goaltending plus under-leaning totals environment both strengthen the correlation with a dog +1.5 cover. The downside here is clear: the price is steep, and Columbus’s defensive issues and shaky penalty kill always leave them exposed to the multi-goal loss or late empty-net dagger, especially against a more efficient Wild power play led by Kaprizov, Boldy and Hughes. Balancing the likelihood of a one-goal margin against the expensive juice and Minnesota’s capacity to pull away, I’d grade Blue Jackets +1.5 (-250) as a B- value play on the puckline. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 18/12/2025 09:40am