Columbus Blue Jackets vs Florida Panthers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 03/06/2025

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, March 6, 2025

Venue:  Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise, FL

Where to Watch:  ESPN+

DraftKings:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets +195, Panthers -238; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Bet365:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets +195, Panthers -240; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

BetMGM:  Moneyline:  Blue Jackets +195, Panthers -240; Over/Under:  6.5 goals

Columbus Blue Jackets:  30-23-8 (4th place, Metropolitan Division)

Florida Panthers:  38-21-3 (2nd place, Atlantic Division)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! William Burns is on a HOT STREAK in the NHL on a 7-1 NHL RUN for +$6,110 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Columbus Blue Jackets:  5-4-1 last 10

Florida Panthers:  8-2-0 last 10

The Blue Jackets are entering this game with 68 points, a 30-23-8 record overall, and they are 10-17-4 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, losing that one on the road 6-2. Zach Werenski scored 2 goals for them in that one. Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson each led the team in assists with 1 while Zach Werenski and Mathieu Olivier 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 5 goals on 39 shots with 34 saves and a .872 save percentage. Their offense has scored 207 goals this season averaging 3.4 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 202 goals against them allowing 3.3 goals per game.

The Panthers are entering this game with 79 points, a 38-21-3 record overall, and they are 20-10-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in their last game, winning that one at home 2-1. Aleksander Barkov scored 2 goals for them in that one. Aaron Ekblad and Mackie Samoskevich each led the team in assists with 1 while Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart each led the team in shots on net in that game with 4. Sergei Bobrovsky was the starting goalie in that game and he allowed 1 goal on 29 shots with 28 saves and a .966 sv percentage. Their offense has scored 206 goals this season averaging 3.3 goals per game and their defense has allowed their opponents to score 172 goals against them allowing 2.8 goals per game.

The current betting odds have the Panthers listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Panthers have looked really good in their games this season with their 38-21-3 record overall which has them in 2nd place of their division in the East and in a playoff spot. They have looked really good on home ice too with their 20-10-2 home record, and they are starting to ramp up their play with the playoffs getting closer as they are the defending Stanley Cup champions. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets have looked good in their games this season with their 30-23-8 record overall which has them in 4th place of their division in the East and in a Wild Card spot. They are not safe in their spot though as it is a really tight race in the East and they have been a terrible road team this year with their 10-17-4 road record. They were playing well out of the All-Star break, but they are still only 5-4-1 in their last 10 games, and now they are coming off a 6-2 road loss to the Lightning in their last one. This game isn't going to be any easier for them against the defending champions, especially with how hot the Panthers have been lately. The Panthers are 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and have a ton of momentum on their side with 4 wins in a row now. They are also coming off a rivalry win over the Lightning in their last one, and that game was on Monday so they have had some extra days of rest for this one. The best way to place a bet here is on the Panthers to win this game and on the puckline. 

Blue Jackets Panthers Prediction:  Our NHL Pick for Thursday, March 6, 2025 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Panthers 4 Blue Jackets 0.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks and expert hockey picks today. And if you enjoyed this Columbus Blue Jackets Florida Panthers prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our weekly NHL predictions and previews.

Columbus Blue Jackets: 81-142 (-19.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 48-92 (-16.5 units) on the moneyline revenging a loss versus opponent as a favorite. 42-87 (-10.7 units) on the moneyline against explosive offensive teams - scoring 3+ goals/game. 36-26 UNDER versus very good teams - outscoring their opponents by 0.5+ goals/game.

Florida Panthers: 161-111 (+5.9 units) on the moneyline in all games. 67-30 (+11.3 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a losing record. 103-59 (+17.7 units) on the moneyline against poor defensive teams - opponents average 29.5+ shots on goal. 33-23 UNDER after a 3 game winning streak.

Columbus Blue Jackets:  C. Sillinger (C) Out - Upper-body. S. Monahan (C) Out - Wrist. E. Gudbranson (D) Out - Shoulder. K. Labanc (RW) Out For Season - Upper Body.

Florida Panthers:  M. Tkachuk (LW) Out - Groin.

“Did we try to do everything to not have a hangover? Yeah. Were we worried about it? No. It happened, obviously. They score those two goals. It sucked, obviously, but we hung in there. We made it 2-1 (later in the first period), and we thought we were going to gather. That’s a real good team with a lot of energy. Maybe we did have a hangover, but we can’t make an excuse. We should have been better. We should have started better. We didn’t.” - Dean Evason after his team’s loss against the Lightning in their game on Tuesday.

“The game just before Christmas here was nasty. I was fully expecting that again. It wasn’t there. So, what happened is, you get two teams fighting for first place now. The tenor of the game is there was something on the line. It was kind of respectfully played.” - Paul Maurice after his team’s win against the Lightning in their game on Monday.

LW Dmitri Voronkov

C Adam Fantilli

RW Kirill Marchenko

LD Zach Werenski

RD Dante Fabbro

G Elvis Merzlikins

LW Carter Verhaeghe

C Aleksander Barkov

RW Sam Reinhart

LD Gustav Forsling

RD Aaron Ekblad

G Sergei Bobrovsky

Points: Z. Werenski (66)

Goals: K. Marchenko (24)

Assists: Z. Werenski (46)

GAA: E. Merzlikins (3.02)

Points: S. Reinhart (64)

Goals: S. Reinhart (31)

Assists: A. Barkov (40)

GAA: S. Bobrovsky (2.55)

Coaches:

Columbus Blue Jackets: Dean Evason (1st season)

Florida Panthers: Paul Maurice (3rd season)