Columbus Blue Jackets vs Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/30/2026

Game Time: 8:30 pm ET, Friday, January 30, 2026

Venue:  United Center, Chicago, IL

Where to Watch:  NHL Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets -142, Blackhawks +120; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets -140, Blackhawks +120; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets -140, Blackhawks +120; Over/Under:  6 goals

Columbus Blue Jackets:  25-20-7 (5th place, Metropolitan Division)

Chicago Blackhawks:  21-23-9 (6th place, Central Division)

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Columbus Blue Jackets:  7-3-0 last 10

Chicago Blackhawks:  3-5-2 last 10

The Blue Jackets are entering this game with 57 points, a 25-20-7 record overall, and they are 11-12-3 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Philadelphia Flyers in their last game, winning that one at home 5-3. Charlie Coyle, Mathieu Olivier, Erik Gudbranson, Kirill Marchenko, and Sean Monahan each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Cole Sillinger and Zach Werenski each led the team in assists with 2 while Adam Fantilli and Ivan Provorov each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Elvis Merzļikins was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 27 shots with 24 saves and a .889 save percentage. Their offense has scored 163 goals this season averaging 3.1 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 172 goals against them allowing 3.3 goals per game.

The Blackhawks are entering this game with 51 points, a 21-23-9 record overall, and they are 11-13-5 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Minnesota Wild in their last game, losing that one on the road 4-3 in a shootout, but this is also the 2nd game of a back-to-back for them with their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins still to be played on Thursday night. In their game against the Wild, Ilya Mikheyev, Ryan Donato, and Teuvo Teräväinen each scored 1 goal for them in that one. Alex Vlasic, Connor Bedard, Jason Dickinson, and Louis Crevier each led the team in assists with 1 while Connor Bedard led the team in shots on net in that game with 8. Spencer Knight was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 3 goals on 23 shots with 20 saves and a .870 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 144 goals this season averaging 2.7 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 168 goals against them allowing 3.2 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Blue Jackets listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Blue Jackets haven't looked great in their games this season with their 25-20-7 record overall which has them in the bottom half of their division in the East. They have been a bad road team too with their 11-12-3 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks haven't looked good in their games this season with their 21-23-9 record overall which has them in the bottom half of their division in the East. They haven't looked great on home ice either with their 11-13-5 home record this season. The Blackhawks had some life to start the season and were keeping themselves in the Wild Card race early on, but they have fallen off and haven't looked that great lately. They are 3-5-2 in their last 10 games as they have been struggling a lot lately, and they are off a loss to the Wild in their last one, blowing a 3-0 lead in that game. They will be looking to bounce back at home, but they aren't in a great situation here since they are playing this game on a back-to-back and have a tough game against the red hot Penguins the night before. The Blue Jackets have looked a lot better lately and can take advantage of the Blackhawks in this bad situation. The Blue Jackets had a terrible start to the season, but they have worked themselves back into the Wild Card rave and have been starting to roll lately. They are 7-3-0 in their last 10 games and have a ton of momentum on their side with 3 wins in a row now. They also have the rest on their side so look for the Blue Jackets to stay hot in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Blue Jackets to win this game. 

Blue Jackets Blackhawks Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Friday, January 30, 2026 (8:30 pm ET start time) is Blue Jackets 4 Blackhawks 2.

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Columbus Blue Jackets: 31-15 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -200 or less. 41-46 (+9.2 units) on the moneyline in non-conference games. 48-46 (+9.1 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a losing record. 4-1 UNDER after a 3 game winning streak.

Chicago Blackhawks: 43-75 (-10.1 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +200. 22-41 (-6.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 40% to 49%). 30-81 (-24.3 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 12-4 UNDER when playing against a marginal losing team (Win Pct. 40% to 49%).

Columbus Blue Jackets:  B. Smith (D) Out - Leg.

Chicago Blackhawks:  S. Weber (D) Out For Season - Ankle.

“Good teams find a way to win, and we found a way to win tonight. I think early in that third period, you give their goalie credit, some of those huge saves he made. So, we could have made that 4-1 very easily, but the goalie, that's his job to stop the puck, and he did.” - Rick Bowness after his team’s win against the Flyers in their game on Wednesday.

“I mean, it’s 3-0 lead. A little bit unfortunate. Yet, at the end of the night, when you take the emotion out of it, which is obviously we’re frustrated, you know, the chances we had were 23-14 us, you’re going to win that game 98 percent of the time. We just didn’t win tonight. But I think the thing you have to do is, I thought, that’s the best we’ve played in a while to be honest with you. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves because we ended up giving up a late lead and lost in the shootout, we’ve got to learn from it and be ready to play similar on Thursday.” - Jeff Blashill after his team’s loss against the Wild in their game on Tuesday.

LW Mason Marchment

C Adam Fantilli

RW Kirill Marchenko

LD Zach Werenski

RD Damon Severson

G Elvis Merzlikins

LW Frank Nazar

C Connor Bedard

RW Teuvo Teravainen

LD Alex Vlasic

RD Louis Crevier

G Arvid Soderblom

Points: Zach Werenski (57)

Goals: Zach Werenski (19)

Assists: Zach Werenski (38)

GAA: Jet Greaves (2.69)

Points: Connor Bedard (49)

Goals: Tyler Bertuzzi (25)

Assists: Connor Bedard (29)

GAA: Spencer Knight (2.59)

Coaches:

Columbus Blue Jackets: Rick Bowness (1st season)

Chicago Blackhawks: Jeff Blashill (1st season)