New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets: Odds, Puck Line, and Total
Turnabout is fair play, especially at a sportsbook. The betting lines on tonight’s season capper between the New York Islanders and host Columbus Blue Jackets, set to face off at…
ELMONT, NEW YORK – MARCH 24: Adam Boqvist #34 of the New York Islanders skates against the Columbus Blue Jackets at UBS Arena on March 24, 2025 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Turnabout is fair play, especially at a sportsbook. The betting lines on tonight's season capper between the New York Islanders and host Columbus Blue Jackets, set to face off at 7 p.m. EST, changed almost instantly with the outcome of another Eastern Conference game that didn't include either team's participation, thanks to the NHL's hectic Wild Card chase of April.
The Columbus Blue Jackets opened as a favorite's pick to defeat the visiting Islanders. Columbus has won five games in a row in a brave bid to rescue a Wild Card push that wilted when Montreal had its epic hot streak of early 2025. The New York Islanders have already hosted their home-ice farewell for the season and haven't seemed to be a major threat to the Columbus streak.
But as of Thursday morning, the Blue Jackets are visiting golf stores too. Montreal scored a two-goal victory over Carolina to clinch the East's final playoff seed on Wednesday night. That means tonight's home team will be playing for pride, too.
Spread
- Islanders +1.5 (-215)
- Blue Jackets -1.5 (+190)
Moneyline
- Islanders +120
- Blue Jackets -135
Total
- Over 6 (-105)
- Under 6 (-109)
*The above data was collected on April 17, 2025, and may have changed since writing.
New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Trends
- The Columbus Blue Jackets are 5-0 in the last five games.
- The total has gone over in 11 of the Islanders' last 16 games.
- The New York Islanders are 1-4 in their last five games.
- The Islanders are 10-3 in their last 13 games against Columbus.
- The total has gone over in five of New York's last six games on the road.
- The total has gone over in five of Columbus' last six games at home.
New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets Injury Reports
New York Islanders
- Defenseman Alexander Romanov is day-to-day with an illness.
Columbus Blue Jackets
- Defenseman Jake Christiansen is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
- Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
New York Islanders vs Columbus Blue Jackets Predictions and Picks
Columbus may be crushed by last night's Carolina-Montreal outcome. However, there's reason for the Blue Jackets to feel confident in their offense against the Islanders. Columbus mounted a comeback and won a shoot-out victory in the teams' prior head-to-head meeting on March 24, as GK Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 of the New York Islanders' 36 shots.
Merzlikins has been injured since then. What's more, the Columbus lineup may now go into such an "offseason" mode that the odds still haven't changed enough to reflect Ohio's somber mood. The Hockey News posted a Columbus-themed recap of Hurricanes vs Canadiens that reads too much like a platitude: "(The Blue Jackets will) battle hard to keep their winning streak alive and finish the season on a high."
It's hard to agree with that, after this month's Blue Jackets did everything they could do, and still didn't make the Stanley Cup tournament. The Isles have performed with that emotional burden already. They're likely to beat a CBJ team that it only struck just hours ago.
