Who is favoured, Edmonton Oilers or Columbus Blue Jackets?

Columbus Blue Jackets, at 54.8% in PuckCast's preseason forecast. That is a rating-based forecast; the full model read, with goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of puck drop.

What is a preseason forecast?

A win probability from each team's regressed preseason rating and home ice, the same ratings behind the 2026-27 projected standings. Those ratings are calibrated at the season level, for standings and playoff odds; this single-game percentage is a plain rating formula and has not been graded on its own yet. It is deliberately unsure about any single game, and the confidence grade says how far it leans.

When does the real prediction publish?

Inside the seven-day window before the game. The model re-scores it on every refresh until puck drop, with the confirmed starting goalies, and this page shows that read instead of the forecast.

Edmonton Oilers at Columbus Blue Jackets, Sun, Dec 27: prediction and odds forecast

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2026-27 forecast · Sun, Dec 27, 6:00 PM ET

Edmonton OilersEDM

97 proj. pts · 60.5% playoffs

Tristan Jarry · 0.882 SV%

Cvs6:00 PM ET

Columbus Blue JacketsCBJ

A preseason forecast from each team's regressed rating and home ice, the ratings behind the projected standings. The full model read, with the starting goalies, rest and form, publishes within seven days of the game and replaces this page’s numbers. How the model works

The read

Preseason ratings · last season’s record

at 5v5 last season the two were level on expected goals (51.9% to 51.0%); CBJ's power play ran at 18.9% against a EDM kill at 75.9%.

In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Elvis Merzlikins (CBJ) saved -21.9 goals above expected to Tristan Jarry's -23.1, on save percentages of 0.883 and 0.882.

None of that is the model read. This is a rating-and-home-ice forecast; the full prediction — confirmed goalies, rest and form, priced against the market — publishes inside the seven days before puck drop and replaces these numbers. Columbus Blue Jackets over Edmonton Oilers is where it starts, not where it ends.

In goal

goalie board

No starter is named this far out. These are each side’s projected starters on the current roster, with last season’s numbers.

EDM

Tristan Jarry

SV%: 0.882
GSAx: -23.1
GAA: 3.32
Record: 18-9-3

33 games, 2025-26

CBJ

Elvis Merzlikins

SV%: 0.883
GSAx: -21.9
GAA: 3.40
Record: 14-11-3

30 games, 2025-26

EDM	Metric	CBJ
51.0%	xGF% (5v5)	51.9%
52.3%	Shot share	50.5%
3.4	Goals for / game	3.0
3.3	Goals against / game	3.1
30.5%	Power play	18.9%
75.9%	Penalty kill	76.0%
52.5%	Faceoffs	50.6%

Who drives it

2026-27 projected points

Edmonton Oilers

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Connor McDavid	C	40	87	127
Leon Draisaitl	C	37	58	95
Evan Bouchard	D	17	59	76
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	C	18	34	53

Columbus Blue Jackets

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Zach Werenski	D	18	49	67

Date	Game	Pick	Score	Result
2025-11-13	EDM @ CBJ	CBJ	EDM 4–5 CBJ	Correct
2025-11-10	CBJ @ EDM	EDM	CBJ 4–5 EDM	Correct

Team	Proj. points	Playoff odds
Edmonton Oilers	97	60.5%
Columbus Blue Jackets	96	47.6%

Every pick is free. The Edge is the rest.

The read

In goal

Last season, side by side

Who drives it

Schedule around it

Last season, head to head

Season outlook