Puck Drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri
TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (regional options including Blue Note+, CBJNHL)
The Columbus Blue Jackets head to St. Louis on the second half of a back-to-back after a shootout win the previous night. The Blues look for their first regulation home win of the season after an overtime loss in their home opener.
Current Projected Rosters / Line Combinations
Columbus Blue Jackets
Forwards
Matthew Knies – Adam Fantilli – Kent Johnson
Valeri Nichushkin – Sean Monahan – Dmitri Voronkov
Cole Sillinger – Charlie Coyle – Mathieu Olivier
Ryan Lomberg – Danton Heinen – Conor Garland Defense
Zach Werenski – Damon Severson
Carson Soucy – Denton Mateychuk
Emil Andrae – Erik Gudbranson Goaltenders
Projected: Jet Greaves or Cam Talbot (Talbot started the previous night’s shootout win; Greaves has seen heavy early use).
St. Louis Blues
Forwards
Dylan Holloway – Robert Thomas – Jimmy Snuggerud
Connor McMichael – Mason McTavish – Jonatan Berggren
Jake Neighbours – Dalibor Dvorsky – Pavel Buchnevich
(Dillon Dube questionable/out) – Pius Suter – Ross Johnston Defense
Philip Broberg – Adam Jiricek
Justin Barron – Colton Parayko
Cam Fowler – Brandon Carlo Goaltenders
Projected: Joel Hofer (strong early numbers) or Jordan Binnington.
Injury / Availability Reports
Blue Jackets
Ivan Provorov (D, lower body) — IR; expected out until at least Oct. 13.
Dante Fabbro (D, upper body) — IR; out until early November.
Isac Lundeström (C, Achilles) — LTIR; out until December.
Additional non-roster/IR: Caleb MacDonald, Riley Bezeau.
Blues
Dillon Dube (C, neck) — doubtful/out for Saturday (MRI after collision).
Alexei Toropchenko (RW, upper body) — IR; out until mid-November.
Tyler Tucker (D, knee) — IR; out until mid-November.
Logan Mailloux (D, hand) — IR; out until late November.
Torey Krug (D, ankle) — out long-term/season.
Adam Jecho (personal) — IR non-roster.
Recent Team Forms
Blue Jackets (2-1-0): Solid early results. Wins over Buffalo (6-3) and Pittsburgh (3-2 SO on Oct. 9); loss to Utah (1-4). Strong power play early (~40% in limited sample), good faceoff numbers. Playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road. Home record 2-1-0.
Blues (1-2-1): Mixed start. Win at Dallas (4-0); losses at Colorado (1-6), at Chicago (2-4), and OT home loss to San Jose (2-3). Strong penalty kill early (~93%) but limited scoring and power-play struggles. Seeking first regulation home win. Home record 0-0-1.
Key Player vs. Player Matchups
Adam Fantilli / Matthew Knies / Kent Johnson vs. Blues defense (Parayko, Broberg, Fowler): Columbus’s young skill core against St. Louis’s restructured blue line.
Robert Thomas / Dylan Holloway / Pavel Buchnevich vs. Zach Werenski-led defense: Blues’ top offensive drivers testing Columbus’s top pair and structure.
Special teams: Columbus’s hot early PP vs. Blues’ excellent early PK.
Goaltending: Hofer’s strong early save percentage vs. Columbus’s tandem (Greaves/Talbot).
Possession, transition, and faceoffs will be key; both teams have shown volatility early.
Series History
St. Louis holds the all-time edge (approximately 55-38-3-1). Recent trend favors Columbus, which has won the last several meetings (including multiple wins in 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons). No 2026-27 meetings yet.
Betting Trends
Blues are slight home favorites. Models lean slightly toward St. Louis (~54%) but view the matchup as relatively even.
Game Odds
Columbus Blue Jackets 6
St. Louis Blues – 126
Odds Courtesy of Sports Odds Direct as of Friday, October 9, 2026
