Minnesota Wild vs Columbus Blue Jackets Pick & Preview - 12/18/2025
Updated December 18, 2025
Updated December 18, 2025
Thursday night's NHL schedule includes a matchup where the Minnesota Wild visit the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Wild are on a strong run and look to extend their current winning streak, while Columbus aims to protect its home ice and get a second win in a row. Before this matchup begins, I've made my Wild vs Blue Jackets prediction, which you can find below.
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The Wild enter this game with substantial momentum, riding a five-game winning streak and most recently dominating the Washington Capitals with a 5‑0 shutout win. Filip Gustavsson turned aside 25 shots in that outing, earning his third clean sheet of the season, while contributions came up and down the lineup on offense.
Columbus has struggled to find consistency, but they did end a losing streak with a victory over the Anaheim Ducks in their most recent outing. Minnesota is playing much better hockey than Columbus of late and will try to keep it that way with a solid performance here.
Between the pipes, Minnesota’s netminding has been a strength of late. Gustavsson has anchored the defense effectively, with strong save percentages and recent shutouts boosting confidence in his ability to limit opposition. The Blue Jackets are expected to turn to Jet Greaves, who has shown the ability to make big saves, but his team has surrendered goals at a higher clip overall.
Offensively, Minnesota has a potent one‑two punch. Kirill Kaprizov leads the club with his combination of goals and assists, while Matthew Boldy has been equally dangerous with a team-high 19 assists. The addition of Hughes gives Minnesota an extra dynamic weapon on the power play. Columbus is led by Zach Werenski, whose point totals stand out among his teammates. Kirill Marchenko is also an important weapon for the Jackets as they look to turn things around.
Player | Prop |
|---|---|
Kirill Kaprizov (MIN) | Over 0.5 Goals |
Matthew Boldy (MIN) | Over 1.5 Points |
Score Projection: Minnesota 4 – Columbus 3
Win Probability: Minnesota Wild 55%, Columbus Blue Jackets 45%
These teams are moving in opposite directions of late, with the Wild playing much better hockey of late. I'll back Minnesota to continue that trend and for them to hand Columbus yet another loss. I'll take the Wild to win this matchup on the moneyline, though I don't blame anyone who feels compelled to lay the puckline with the red-hot Wild either.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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