Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Odds
| Red Wings Odds | +110 |
| Blue Jackets Odds | -130 |
| Over/Under | 5.5 |
| Time | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN+ |
| Odds via DraftKings. Get up-to-the-minute NHL Odds and Futures Odds here. | |
Last season, the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets finished in a tie for last place in the NHL's re-imagined Central Division. This year, both teams have returned to their usual homes — and promptly started striding up the standings.
With rebuilds in progress, Detroit and Columbus have been pleasant surprises through the first half of this season. The fun may not last, though. The underlying numbers for both teams suggest they'll need to go through more growing pains before becoming true contenders.
In their eight meetings last season, the Wings posted a 4-1-3 record, with one win coming in overtime. In their first meeting this year, Detroit skated out of Little Caesars Arena with a 4-1 victory.
Without much to choose between the two teams, here's why you should back Detroit again for Monday's rematch.
Red Wings Likely Not As Good As Record Shows
In Steve Yzerman's fourth year at the helm as general manager, the Detroit Red Wings are in the thick of the playoff hunt in the tough Atlantic Division through the first month of the season — though some rivals below them in the standings, such as Tampa Bay and Boston, have multiple games in hand.
Through 16 games, the Wings have an 8-6-2 record. Rookies Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider hold down the top two spots in the rookie scoring race, and Tyler Bertuzzi's nine goals have him parked among the league's top scorers even though his unvaccinated status limits him to games in U.S. markets only.
That being said, the Wings' record to date might be a bit flattering. Their overall goal differential is minus-4, both the power play and the penalty kill are in the bottom half of the league rankings and their expected goals rate at 5-on-5 is just-okay at 49.9%.
Coach Jeff Blashill has mostly been alternating his goaltenders. With back-to-back games in Columbus on Monday and Dallas on Tuesday, he'll most likely split the duties between Thomas Greiss and Alex Nedeljkovic. Both netminders have been solid so far. If the pattern holds, Monday's start should belong to Greiss.
For more odds on the Red Wings, please refer to this page.
Blue Jackets Off to Strong Start
The Columbus Blue Jackets are also off to an unexpectedly good start, although regulation losses on home ice to the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers last weekend have bumped Brad Larsen's group down to sixth place in the Metropolitan Division despite a respectable 7-5-0 record.
Through 12 games, the Blue Jackets offense and defense are dead even, recording an average of 3.08 goals both for and against per game.
On the scoring side, that's a nice uptick from last season, when Columbus tallied just 2.39 goals per game. With the rejuvenated Patrik Laine currently on the shelf due to an oblique strain, Oliver Bjorkstrand and returning forward Jakub Voracek are driving the bus offensively.
The Blue Jackets are also getting some offense out of 18-year-old forward Cole Sillinger. The 12th pick in the 2021 draft, he's the first player from his class to cross the 10-game mark that burns a year of his entry-level contract, and he has chipped in five points in his last four games.
Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins was an important part of the Blue Jackets' early-season success. But he has lost two of his last three games, and gave up a season-high five goals to the Rangers on Saturday.
The Blue Jackets are also middle-of-the-pack on special teams, though they're better than the Red Wings on both the power play and the penalty kill. At 5-on-5, their expected goals rate of 49.11% is slightly lower than Detroit.
For more odds on the Blue Jackets, please refer to this page.
Red Wings vs. Blue Jackets Pick
The Red Wings and Blue Jackets are two improving teams that have, perhaps, outkicked their coverage a bit in the early going. That sets up what should be a tightly-contested game at Nationwide Arena on Monday.
Columbus has home-ice advantage but is playing its third game in four nights and is coming into Monday's contest riding its first two-game losing streak of the season. Detroit is away from home and on the second game of a three-in-four. But the Wings have won four of their last five games and have been getting consistently solid goaltending.
At +110, the oddsmakers are giving the visitors a 47.6% chance of victory. In a coin-flip game where Detroit has momentum on its side, they're worth backing on Monday.
Pick: Red Wings (+110); play down to even money.
