Nashville Predators vs Columbus Blue Jackets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Today, 03/03/26

The Olympic break came at an inopportune time for the Blue Jackets. Columbus had reeled off 7 straight wins going into the break which put them firmly back in the Wild Card hunt. However, the Blue Jackets dropped each of their first 2 games back after the break to the Bruins and Islanders. They were finally able to right the ship with a 5-4 overtime win on Monday night on the road at Madison Square Garden. Kirill Marchenko potted the game-winner to give the Blue Jackets some much-needed momentum heading into this matchup against the Predators.

With Elvis Merzlikins getting the start between the pipes on Monday, that means we will most likely see Jet Greaves in net for Columbus on Tuesday against Nashville. Greaves has been solid all season long, and he posted a strong 1.97 goals-against average and .915 save percentage over 2 February starts. The Predators enjoyed an offensive surge in December and January, but they have come back down to earth and still rank 22nd in the NHL scoring 2.90 goals per game. The Blue Jackets should also get a boost with Zach Werenski projected to be back in the lineup after missing Monday’s tilt in New York with an illness. Werenski is riding a career-high 9-game point streak, which is also a franchise best for a defenseman in Blue Jackets history. Take confidence backing the Blue Jackets at home.

Predators vs Blue Jackets prediction: Blue Jackets ML (-150) available at time of publishing. Playable to -160.