Columbus Blue Jackets vs Dallas Stars Prediction, 10/21/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Dallas Stars

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: Victory+

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jackets (+106) Stars (-128)

The Columbus Blue Jackets (2-3-0) are en route to American Airlines Center on Tuesday where they will try to defeat the Dallas Stars (3-2-0). The odds on this game have Columbus at +106 and Dallas is priced at -128. The over/under is 6.5.

The Columbus Blue Jackets came out of this game feeling pretty good about themselves with a 3-2 victory over the Lightning their last time out. Columbus garnered 17 penalty minutes in this outing. The Blue Jackets had a middle of the road offensive performance in the win. Additionally, they had 2 chances on the power play but didn't convert them into a score. For the game, they were able to notch a goal on 3 of the 31 shots they attempted.

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At even strength, the Blue Jackets have allowed the opponent to score 7 goals while earning 13 of their own. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have totaled 18 power play opportunities (18th in professional hockey) and have scored 8 goals in those chances. When it comes to their goal scoring prowess, the Columbus Blue Jackets have notched 14 goals (28th in pro hockey) over the course of the season and have surrendered 15. Columbus has attempted 158 shots and has a shooting percentage of 8.9%. For the current season, they have recorded 4 points and their points percentage comes in at .400. The Blue Jackets have had 172 shots tried against them and hold a save percentage of .913. Columbus has tallied 13 power play chances and they have scored 1 goal out of those attempts, garnering them a rate of 7.69%.

The man in goal for this game is Elvis Merzlikins. The opposition has notched 733 goals against Merzlikins in his career and his goals against average per game is 3.17. Merzlikins has played in 246 matchups throughout his professional hockey career. His save percentage sits at .902 during his 12,937 minutes guarding the cage. He has amassed an overall record of 95-101-35 and he has gotten the start in 231 games. For his career, Merzlikins is sitting with 112 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is at .485. Merzlikins has seen 7,463 shot attempts taken against him and he has 6,730 saves.

Their last time out, Dallas faced off against the Blues in a game where the Stars ended up losing by a score of 3-1. The Stars earned 1 goal out of the 19 shots on goal they took. They had 2 attempts on the power play in this matchup but weren't able to notch a goal.

Dallas has tried 134 shots (29th in pro hockey) and has a shooting percentage of 13.43%, while allowing the opposition 153 shots. They have earned a penalty kill rate of 72.22% on their opponents 18 tries on the power play, and their save percentage is currently 88.2%. They have a tally of 15 power play opportunities and they have accumulated a power play rate of 33.33%. The Stars have racked up 13 goals at even strength and 5 goals (5th in the NHL) while on the power play. They have allowed 18 goals to be scored by way of 13 goals at even strength and 5 goals while they had less men on the ice. For the season, the Dallas Stars have tallied 18 goals, 6 points, as well as a points percentage of .600.

On the other side of the ice you are going to see Jake Oettinger in goal. Oettinger holds a lifetime mark of 152-67-27 and has played in 255 games. Oettinger's quality start percentage sits at 58.5% and he has qualified for 144 quality starts in his pro career. He has a tally of 6,410 stops out of the 7,030 shots tried, giving him a save percentage of .912. His opponents are averaging 2.52 goals per contest and he has allowed 620 goals altogether. He has made the start in 246 contests and has played 13,313 mins.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Josh's Pick: Take Columbus (+106)

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