Our Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets prediction arrives with both teams unbeaten and the road side favored. Utah is listed at -117 on the full-game moneyline, Columbus at -103, and the total sits at 6.0. That is a short price for a visitor, and the number has already drifted toward Utah since it opened. Below we work through the goaltending matchup, a Columbus blue line missing three regulars, and the market signal underneath it, before landing on where the edge sits.
Last Updated: October 3, 2026
Utah Mammoth vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — Game Info
| Where | Nationwide Arena, Columbus Ohio |
| When | October 3 – 7:00 PM ET |
| TV | Blue Jackets Hockey Network, ESPN+ |
Utah Mammoth vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Preview
Both teams opened the season on October 1 and both won at home. Utah beat Chicago 6-0, with Karel Vejmelka stopping all 15 shots he faced and Dylan Guenther scoring twice. Columbus beat Buffalo 6-3 behind a three-point debut from Matthew Knies, acquired from Toronto days before the opener. Each team is 1-0-0, so the sample is one game and should be read that way.
Last season separated these clubs by a thin margin. Utah went 43-33-6 and finished fourth in the Central before losing a six-game first-round series to Vegas. Columbus went 40-30-12 for 92 points and finished fifth in the Metropolitan, missing the playoffs for a sixth straight year. Both added veterans over the summer. Utah brought in Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers, signed Anders Lee, and added defenseman Andrew Peeke. Columbus landed Valeri Nichushkin from Colorado and then traded for Knies.
The lineup news is where this game turns. Columbus placed Ivan Provorov on injured reserve and called him week to week with a lower-body injury. Damon Severson is out with a shoulder problem and Dante Fabbro has a broken hand. That removes two of the four defensemen Columbus projected in its top pairs. Zach Werenski logged 28:46 in the opener as a result. Utah, by contrast, has its back end intact. Our read on the opener is also recent enough to be worth a look in our Sabres vs. Blue Jackets prediction.
Utah Mammoth vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
| Puck Line | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mammoth | -1.5 (+225) | -117 | O 6.0 (-112) |
| Blue Jackets | +1.5 (-275) | -103 | U 6.0 (-108) |
Odds accurate as of October 3, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NHL Odds – Futures – Props
Utah Mammoth vs. Columbus Blue Jackets — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Mammoth | 42% | 58% | Blue Jackets |
See the latest NHL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets Prediction — Three Columbus Defensemen Already Sidelined
Start with the goaltending, because it is the largest single input to this price. Jet Greaves has the Columbus job to himself. He went 26-19-9 in 55 games last season with a .908 save percentage and a 2.60 goals-against average, then stopped 23 shots against Buffalo. Elvis Merzlikins is out after shoulder surgery, so Greaves carries the workload. Utah projects Vejmelka, who led the NHL in appearances last season with 64 and posted a .896 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average. Neither start is confirmed, so treat this read as provisional until the morning skates settle it.
That makes the blue line the deciding variable rather than the crease. Columbus is down Provorov, Severson and Fabbro at the same time. Werenski can absorb minutes, and Denton Mateychuk is a real second-pair piece, but the third pair becomes patchwork. Utah is the deeper team right now. The Mammoth outshot Chicago 32-15 in the opener, scoring at even strength and on the power play. Possession and zone exits are exactly where a thin defense corps leaks.
The market agrees, quietly. Utah opened at -112 on the moneyline and sits at -117, while Columbus has drifted from -108 to -103. Meanwhile 58 percent of spread tickets are on Columbus. Public money on the home side with the number moving the other way is reverse line movement, and it is the most useful market signal available. The move is small, though, at five cents, and the best of that number is gone. The case against is straightforward. Utah is starting a six-game road trip, playing two time zones east, and faces the Rangers the next night. One report suggests Utah may split that back-to-back between Vejmelka and rookie Sebastian Cossa, which would change this read. A 6-0 win over an 0-2 Chicago team also flatters Utah more than it should.
The Pick: Utah Mammoth Moneyline (-117) — Full-Game Moneyline
Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets Prediction — Both Meetings Last Season Went to Overtime
These teams met twice last season and neither game was settled in 60 minutes. Columbus won 3-2 in Utah on January 11 on a Dmitri Voronkov overtime goal. Utah returned the favor at Nationwide Arena on March 7, taking it 5-4 on Logan Cooley’s overtime winner. That matters for the total rather than the side. The full-game number includes overtime and the shootout, so a game tied after regulation produces at least one more goal.
Special teams point the same direction. Columbus finished last season with a 76.0 percent penalty kill, 28th in the NHL, and an 18.9 percent power play that ranked 22nd. Utah went 2-for-3 on the power play in the opener, and Guenther scored twice on the night. Columbus also generated chances at a high rate last season, ranking third in high-danger shots for. Add a depleted defense corps and the empty-net factor that turns one-goal hockey games into two-goal results, and the volume case holds.
Be clear about the overlap. This read leans on the same Columbus injuries that drive the pick above, so these are not two independent plays. The case against is real too. The total opened at 6.0 and has not moved a tick, which means no market confirmation. Columbus killed all five Buffalo power plays in the opener, Vejmelka posted a shutout, and 6.0 is already a demanding number to clear. Our Blues vs. Stars prediction covered a similar early-season totals question.
The Pick: Over 6.0 (-112) — Full-Game Total, Overtime and Shootout Included
Our Final Word on Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets
One market we are leaving alone is the puck line. Utah at -1.5 pays +225, which implies a 30.8 percent chance of a two-goal road win. The puck line is priced in reverse in hockey, so backing a favorite there means needing margin rather than just a win. With a moneyline of only -117, Utah is nowhere near strong enough to justify that. Both meetings last season needed overtime, which is the opposite of a two-goal profile.
The honest summary is that the edge here is moderate rather than large, and it rests on availability more than talent. Confirmation of both starters would firm it up considerably.
We land on Utah on the full-game moneyline at -117, because Columbus is missing two of its projected top-four defensemen and the number is moving toward the Mammoth against the ticket count. We also take the full-game Over 6.0 at -112, where a 28th-ranked Columbus penalty kill and a patched-together blue line meet a total that includes overtime and the shootout.
NHL Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets FAQ: October 3, 2026
What time does the Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets game start?
Puck drop is set for 7:00 PM ET on Saturday, October 3, 2026. It is the second game of the season for both clubs, and the opener of a six-game road trip for Utah that continues at Madison Square Garden the following night.
What channel is the Mammoth vs. Blue Jackets game on?
The game airs locally in Columbus on Blue Jackets Hockey Network and is carried out of market on ESPN+. Viewers outside both clubs’ home territories will find it through the ESPN+ package rather than a national cable window.
Where are the Mammoth and Blue Jackets playing?
They play at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, the Blue Jackets’ home building. It is the second straight home game for Columbus, which also opened the season there on October 1.
What are the Mammoth and Blue Jackets records this season?
Both teams are 1-0-0. Utah beat Chicago 6-0 at home on October 1 and Columbus beat Buffalo 6-3 the same night. Last season Utah finished 43-33-6 and Columbus finished 40-30-12 with 92 points.
Is Ivan Provorov playing for the Blue Jackets?
No. Columbus placed Provorov on injured reserve with a lower-body injury and described him as week to week. The absence ended a long consecutive-games streak and leaves Columbus without one of its projected top-four defensemen.
Who won the last meeting between the Mammoth and Blue Jackets?
Utah won the most recent meeting 5-4 in overtime at Nationwide Arena on March 7, 2026, on a Logan Cooley goal. The two clubs split their season series last year, and both of those games went past regulation.