Sharks vs Blue Jackets

Macklin Celebrini and the Sharks walk into Nationwide Arena off a high-event road swing that just saw them give up a touchdown in Ottawa, while Columbus returns home after a tight 2-1 loss in Montreal that snapped a strong run of wins built on steadier defending and more structured third periods. The Jackets’ current form line is still far more convincing than San Jose’s, with Columbus riding a stretch of multi-goal wins against quality opponents and owning the better overall record, while San Jose has been trading wins and losses and still leaking goals on this trip. San Jose’s injury list — with Logan Couture still out long term, depth center Ty Dellandrea on IR and young goalie Yaroslav Askarov sidelined — pushes more responsibility onto Celebrini, Alexander Wennberg and William Eklund, whereas the Blue Jackets are largely healthy and can roll multiple scoring lines around Adam Fantilli, Boone Jenner, Kirill Marchenko and a back end driven by Zach Werenski. The Sharks did take the previous meeting 5-2 in San Jose behind big nights from Celebrini, Wennberg and Mario Ferraro, but shifting to Columbus with the Jackets in a tighter playoff race, with a deeper, healthier roster and a more reliable defensive environment in front of Elvis Merzlikins or Jet Greaves, tilts this rematch toward the home side despite the heavy juice. Laying -194 is never cheap, but the combination of Columbus’ home-ice edge, recent form and health gap versus an injury-thinned Sharks group still figuring out its road game makes Blue Jackets moneyline the safer choice. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 28/03/2026 09:34

The last time these teams saw each other, San Jose hung five on Columbus with Celebrini, Wennberg and Ferraro all on the scoresheet, and the profile for this rematch still leans toward goals even as the Jackets’ overall defensive numbers have tightened. The Sharks play one of the loosest games in the league right now, combining a top-heavy attack with Celebrini driving play and contributing nightly with a blue line that still gives up quality looks, and their recent road results have featured scorelines like 7-4 and 6-3 that blow past this 6.5 total. Columbus, meanwhile, has quietly become one of the more potent Eastern offenses, with Werenski leading them in points from the back end and Marchenko, Fantilli and the middle six piling up multi-goal home wins (5-2, 6-3, 5-1, 8-5) when they get their cycle and forecheck going. The main risk to the Over is that the Jackets’ improved structure and San Jose’s travel fatigue after a long trip could produce a more controlled 4-2 type game instead of a track meet, especially if Columbus gets out front and leans on its depth to choke off chances, but at -104 with two offenses that have already combined for seven goals head-to-head this season and plenty of top-end skill on both first units, the slight edge is still to the Over 6.5. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 28/03/2026 09:34

If you’re willing to embrace a bit more variance, the Columbus -1.5 puckline at plus money is an appealing way to back what has been the more complete side, especially in a spot where the Jackets’ motivation to bank full two-point nights in a tight Metropolitan race runs straight into a Sharks team finishing a taxing road stretch. Columbus has repeatedly shown it can separate at home, with recent Nationwide wins by margins of two or more against the Blackhawks, Panthers, Predators, Flyers, Lightning and even a 6-3 result over the Rangers, thanks to a lineup that can keep pushing with secondary scoring from players like Conor Garland, Miles Wood and Dmitri Voronkov once the Fantilli and Marchenko lines soften up opponents. San Jose’s defensive frailties and injury issues make them particularly vulnerable to those late insurance markers: Couture and Dellandrea are still out, Askarov is unavailable in goal, and a blue line relying heavily on Ferraro, John Klingberg and Nick Leddy has been stretched on this trip, which is a tough recipe against a Columbus power play that runs through Werenski and can punish tired legs. The counterargument is that Celebrini’s game-breaking talent and the Sharks’ already proven ability to beat Columbus this season keep the backdoor open for a one-goal Jackets win or a San Jose upset, but with Columbus owning the deeper roster, better recent form and more favorable schedule spot, the chance they turn a home lead into a multi-goal result is high enough to justify the +125 swing. Odds and availability are subject to change. This bet was made at 28/03/2026 09:34