The Detroit Red Wings take on the Columbus Blue Jackets at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH, for the NHL's annual Stadium Series. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. ET on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ and Disney+.
Detroit is favored on the puck line at -1.5 with a moneyline of -112. The total is set at six goals.
Here are my Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets predictions and NHL picks for March 1, 2025.
Detroit Red Wings vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction
- Pick: Over 6 (-120)
My Detroit vs. Columbus best bet is on the under, with the best odds currently available at BetMGM. For all of your NHL bets, be sure to find the best lines by using our live NHL odds page.
Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Odds, Spread, Lines
| Red Wings Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -275 | 6 -120o / +100u | -110 |
| Blue Jackets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 +220 | 6 -120o / +100u | -110 |
- Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets puck line: Red Wings +1.5, Blue Jackets -1.5
- Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets over/under: 6 (-120o / +100u)
- Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets moneyline: Red Wings ML -110, Blue Jackets ML -110
- Red Wings vs. Blue Jacketspick: Over 6
Detroit Red Wings Preview
I’m not sure if the NHL envisioned this game being such a pivotal matchup when it announced that this game would be played at Ohio Stadium, but here we are.
The Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets are tied with 66 points apiece, both in Wild Card position to make the playoffs battling at “The Shoe.”
If anyone needed a coaching change, it was the Detroit Red Wings.
Since Todd McLellan entered behind the bench in the Motor City, the Wings boast a 17-6-2 record and are absolutely crushing it on the power play, scoring at a 39% pace.
McLellan has a knack for sparking a team once he first arrives in a new organization, and prior to his arrival, Detroit seemed lost with no direction.
Detroit’s 5-on-5 offense was ranking near the bottom, but with the coaching change, it’s now 14th in expected goals with a 50.56 xGF%.
There’s a lot to like about the Wings. Captain Dylan Larkin seemed to have won many national fans over with his play in the 4 Nations Face-Off. However, in a 5-2 loss against the Jackets this past Thursday, McLellan called out Larkin as a “no show.”
It's anyone’s guess how he responds, but I’ll be watching Detroit’s tone-setter.
Lucas Raymond is the one who has made a tremendous amount of growth, averaging over a point per game for the first time in his young career.
McLellan has a knack for sparking a team once he first arrives in a new organization, and prior to his arrival, Detroit seemed lost with no direction.
For years, goaltending has been a concern for this team. While Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon are both fine netminders, they’re not going to take a team to the top. Each are backups at best, posting similar save percentages, but you never know what you’ll get out of them.
Columbus Blue Jackets Preview
The league needs to start looking out for the Blue Jackets because those boys have been cruising since returning from break.
For a team that doesn’t fare well on the road, they came into Detroit, went down 1-0 early in the second, and then drove in four goals, eventually winning 5-2.
There are a lot of moving parts because Kirill Marchenko is a star, Kent Johnson is on a point-per-game pace in his last 20, and James van Riemsdyk is reminding everyone why he still has it.
However, the funny thing is, Columbus doesn’t particularly do anything special, ranking in the bottom 10 in both 5-on-5 expected goals and xGA/60 – though that number is climbing.
Additionally, its work on the penalty kill is subpar, only succeeding at a 76% rate, and the power play is middling at 21%.
It’s not even goaltending that is the saving grace, as Elvis Merzlikins and Daniil Tarasov each post sub-.900 SV% and a negative GSAx. Expect Merzlikins to take the net tonight, though since Tarasov started on Thursday.
What you’re going to get out of the Blue Jackets is work ethic and good vibes. The attention to detail in crafting their game may not be all the way there yet, but the skill is good enough to make a case for a playoff spot.
You will need to bet at your own risk with this team, but boy, they can be fun to tail.
Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets
Betting Pick & Prediction
Unpredictable. That's the perfect word to describe these two teams.
Both are riding a hot streak, but Columbus has been more volatile all season. The Jackets can hammer out a stretch of wins, but at the snap of your fingers, they can go on a losing streak.
For Detroit, though, you get a little more consistency since McLellan arrived. I think we will see a better performance from them, though. With the regime change, there's typically a solid bounce-back after a tough loss, so I don't think picking the Wings is a poor choice.
Odds are set very even across the board. Only FanDuel seems to favor Detroit slightly, which could be because of the bounce-back effect.
For me, I'm rolling with the total. I can't get a good read on either team, so I'll be rooting for a high-scoring game. Too much volatility, too much unpredictability, and unreliable goaltending.
Pick: Over 6 (-120) — BetMGM
