Flyers at Blue Jackets Betting Preview & Predictions

An in-season coaching change has sparked the Blue Jackets, who have moved up the Eastern Conference standings winning 5 of 6 games since Rick Bowness was handed the reins. The congested standings have the Blue Jackets within 4 points of third place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Flyers are right there as is just about every team making games against division and conference foes that much more important. A hot start turned into a cold new year for the Flyers, who had dropped 7 of 8 games before an impressive 7-3 win over the NHL’s best Avalanche on Friday.

Flyers at Blue Jackets Preview

The first of three meetings this season between Metropolitan Division rivals the Philadelphia Flyers and Columbus Blue Jackets takes place on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 from Nationwide Arena in Columbus. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET with the game televised on TNT.

Public Betting Odds Factors

With the standings so tight into the second half of the season, the Blue Jackets felt the need for a change after going 19-19-7 under Dean Evason. What sucks for the former coach is that his club won in what was his last game, ending a 4-game losing streak with a 3-2 overtime win over Utah.

Adding that result to the way the club responded to the coaching change has Columbus as one of the hottest teams in the NHL. They had a season-high goal output in Saturday’s 8-5 win over Tampa Bay for their sixth win in 7 games.

One thing the Jackets have improved on is their goals against total since the coaching change. The Jackets allowed 19 goals during a 4-game skid that was the nail in Evason’s coffin. During their current run of success the Jackets have allowed an average of just 2.57 goals a game.

A nice first few months that had the Flyers at 16-9-3 has evaporated. Since beating San Jose on Dec. 9, Philly has lost 8 of 14 games. And they’ve been dreadful in games that go past regulation time. They dropped all 5 overtime games during their current rut going OVER the total on the NHL betting line 6 times with a push in their last 8 games

Averaging less than 3.0 goals per game is a concern for the Flyers. Part of that rests on a power-play that has converted just 16 percent of the time.

This game could turn into a battle of special teams. Both aren’t very good killing penalties and the Flyers have scored 5 shorthanded markers. Columbus has tightened up on the PK under Bowness stopping 83.3 percent of the opponent's power plays in the last 5 games.

Flyers at Blue Jackets Predictions

Despite scoring 8 goals and handing Tampa Bay its first regulation loss in 15 games, the Blue Jackets have been inconsistent on offense. They’ve scored 2 goals or fewer in 18 games and their leading scorer is defenseman Zach Werenski.

The acquisition of Mason Marchment has been a bonanza for the Blue Jackets. Getting him from Seattle for a couple of late round draft picks, the deal looks like a steal. Marchment scored a hat trick in the win over Tampa Bay and has 8 goals and 11 points in 9 games. In those games the Blue Jackets are 6-2-1.

Flyers at Blue Jackets Betting Tips

A recent surge offensively has moved Columbus up to an average of 3.0 goals per game. The Flyers have struggled recently and average 2.98 goals per game leaving both teams in the bottom half of the NHL rankings.

Both teams have a negative goal differential with Columbus allowing 3.29 goals a game and the Flyers at 3.10 goals/game.

A Philly weakness is its power play. The Flyers are next to last in the NHL with 23 power play goals and they are 28th converting 16 percent.

Inflating their team GAA is Columbus’s 28th ranked penalty kill. The Flyers are a little better shorthanded, killing 78.3 percent of shorthanded situations.

Flyers at Blue Jackets Head to Head and Key Stats

The teams meet for the first time this season with Philadelphia seeking to end a 2-game losing streak. The team’s met last April with Jet Greaves stopping all 29 shots in a 3-0 Blue Jackets win.

Four of the last 9 meetings have gone past 60 minutes with the teams splitting those games. Columbus won twice in the shootout and Philly had a pair of OT winners.