Who is favoured, Chicago Blackhawks or Columbus Blue Jackets?

Columbus Blue Jackets, at 63.9% 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.

Chicago Blackhawks at Columbus Blue Jackets, Thu, Mar 25: prediction and odds forecast

PuckCast Edge

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2026-27 forecast · Thu, Mar 25, 7:00 PM ET

Chicago BlackhawksCHI

83 proj. pts · 25.9% playoffs

Spencer Knight · 0.902 SV%

Bvs7:00 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

CBJ controlled play at 5v5 last season, 51.9% of the expected goals to 43.7%; CBJ's power play ran at 18.9% against a CHI kill at 83.6%.

In goal, neither team has named a starter. Last season Spencer Knight (CHI) saved -12.5 goals above expected to Elvis Merzlikins's -21.9, on save percentages of 0.902 and 0.883.

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 Chicago Blackhawks 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.

CHI

Spencer Knight

SV%: 0.902
GSAx: -12.5
GAA: 2.82
Record: 19-25-11

55 games, 2025-26

CBJ

Elvis Merzlikins

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

30 games, 2025-26

CHI	Metric	CBJ
43.7%	xGF% (5v5)	51.9%
45.1%	Shot share	50.5%
2.6	Goals for / game	3.0
3.3	Goals against / game	3.1
17.0%	Power play	18.9%
83.6%	Penalty kill	76.0%
46.0%	Faceoffs	50.6%

Who drives it

2026-27 projected points

Chicago Blackhawks

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Connor Bedard	C	31	52	83
Patrick Kane	R	18	36	54
Teuvo Teravainen	C	15	29	44
Frank Nazar	C	16	25	41

Columbus Blue Jackets

Player	Pos	G	A	Pts
Zach Werenski	D	18	49	67

Date	Game	Pick	Score	Result
2026-02-04	CHI @ CBJ	CBJ	CHI 0–4 CBJ	Correct
2026-01-30	CBJ @ CHI	CBJ	CBJ 4–2 CHI	Correct

Team	Proj. points	Playoff odds
Chicago Blackhawks	83	25.9%
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