Columbus Blue Jackets vs Chicago Blackhawks Prediction, 1/30/2026 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Columbus Blue Jackets vs Chicago Blackhawks

Date: Friday, January 30, 2026

Location: United Center in Chicago, IL

TV: Chicago Sports Network

United Center is the site where the Chicago Blackhawks (21-23-9) will try to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets (25-20-7) on Friday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets went home feeling good about their game by earning a 5-3 win over the Flyers in their previous contest . The Blue Jackets had a great offensive game plan going into this one and it showed in this victory. In the outing, they finished 5 out of the 31 shots they tried. They also had 3 opportunities with more players on the ice but didn't get a goal. Columbus garnered 10 minutes in the box for this matchup.

When at even strength, the Blue Jackets let the opposition score 136 goals while having 133 on the offensive side of the ice. Columbus Blue Jackets opponents have earned 147 power play tries (22nd in hockey) and have earned 35 goals in those chances. In regard to their goal scoring prowess, the Columbus Blue Jackets have earned 158 goals (19th in the NHL) on the year and have given up 171. Columbus has tried 1,573 shots and is the owner of a shooting percentage of 10.0%. For the current campaign, they have recorded 57 points and their points percentage is .548. The Blue Jackets so far have had 1,592 shots attempted against them and have a save percentage of .893. Columbus comes into the game with 129 power play opportunities and they have scored 25 goals out of those attempts, giving them a percentage of 19.38%.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Jet Greaves. Greaves has played in 56 matchups over the course of his hockey career. He has amassed a win-loss mark of 26-21-8 and he has gotten the start in 53 games. Opponents have notched 147 goals against Greaves in his career and his goals against average per contest is 2.77. Greaves has had 1,728 shot attempts against him and has accrued 1,581 total saves. His save percentage is at .915 during his 1,200 minutes guarding the cage. For his professional hockey career, Greaves has recorded 35 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .660.

In their last game, Chicago went up against the Wild in a matchup where the Blackhawks got the tie by a tally of 3-3. They had 5 opportunities on the power play in this outing but weren't able to notch a goal. The Blackhawks netted 3 goals out of the 32 shots on goal they attempted.

Chicago has tried 1,326 shots (29th in pro hockey) and has earned a shot percentage of 10.63%, while allowing the opposition 1,563 shots. They have a penalty kill percentage of 85.54% on the other teams 166 power play opportunities, and their save percentage comes in at 89.6%. They have recorded 151 power play opportunities and they have a power play percentage of 19.87%. The Blackhawks have tallied 111 goals at even strength and 30 goals (18th in the league) while having more men on the ice. They have allowed 163 goals to be scored by of a combination of 139 goals at even strength and 24 goals while they were shorthanded. During this campaign, the Chicago Blackhawks are sitting with 141 goals, 51 points, in addition to a points percentage of .481.

Across the ice you are likely to see Spencer Knight between the pipes. He has compiled 3,301 stops out of 3,645 shots taken, which gives him a percentage of .906. Knight has a lifetime record of 64-47-16 and has been in goal for 131 games. He has made the start in 121 games and has played for a total of 5,125 mins. Knight's quality start percentage comes out to 53.7% and he has qualified for 65 quality starts in his NHL career. The opposition is averaging 2.84 goals/game and he has allowed 344 goals overall.

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

Tony's Pick: Take Columbus

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