Our Utah Mammoth vs Columbus Blue Jackets preview covers the odds, puck line, total, start time, TV channel and where to watch on Saturday, October 3, 2026. The Utah Mammoth (1-0-0 this season; 43-33-6 in 2025-26) visit the Columbus Blue Jackets (1-0-0 this season; 40-30-12 in 2025-26) at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Puck drop is 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local). TV: CBJNHL / CBJHN / Utah 16 (U.S. regional).
Storyline: Two teams that won their openers by three goals or more meet at Nationwide Arena. Utah beat Chicago 6-0 at home on Oct. 1 behind two power-play goals from Dylan Guenther and a 15-save shutout from Karel Vejmelka. The same night, Columbus beat Buffalo 6-3 as Matthew Knies scored twice in his Blue Jackets debut, three days after being acquired from Toronto (NHL.com). Columbus will be without defenseman Ivan Provorov, who is on injured reserve and week to week with a lower-body injury. DraftKings lists Utah at -112 and Columbus at -108 on the moneyline, with the total at 6.5.
Utah Mammoth vs Columbus Blue Jackets Odds, Puck Line & Game Info
| Matchup | Utah Mammoth @ Columbus Blue Jackets |
|---|---|
| 2026-27 Records | Utah Mammoth 1-0-0 | Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0-0 |
| 2025-26 Records | Utah Mammoth 43-33-6 | Columbus Blue Jackets 40-30-12 |
| Head Coaches | UTA: Andre Tourigny (6th season) | CBJ: Rick Bowness (2nd season; took over Jan. 12, 2026) |
| Puck Line | UTA -1.5 (+230) | CBJ +1.5 (-285) |
| Moneyline | Utah Mammoth: -112 | Columbus Blue Jackets: -108 |
| Total | O/U 6.5 (o+114 / u-135) |
| Venue | Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio) |
| Date / Time | Saturday, October 3, 2026 — 7:00 PM ET |
| TV / How to Watch | CBJNHL / CBJHN / Utah 16 (U.S. regional) |
| Probable Starting Goalies | UTA: TBD (Karel Vejmelka / Sebastian Cossa) | CBJ: TBD (Jet Greaves / Cam Talbot) |
Odds via DraftKings (through ESPN), cross-checked on Action Network, as of Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, ~10:22 PM ET. Totals ranged from 6 to 6.5 across books at research time. Lines move, so check your sportsbook before puck drop. Starting goalies had not been confirmed at research time.
Utah Mammoth Preview: Last Season, Offseason & Goalies
2025-26 recap: Utah went 43-33-6 (92 points), finished fourth in the Central Division and made the playoffs, leading the series 2-1 against Vegas before losing in six games in the first round (NHL.com). Captain Clayton Keller led the team with 88 points (26 goals, 62 assists), Guenther scored 40 goals and Nick Schmaltz had 74 points.
Offseason moves: Utah acquired center Vincent Trocheck from the Rangers (defenseman Sean Durzi went to New York in the deal) and signed forward Anders Lee, the Islanders’ longtime captain, to a three-year contract. The Mammoth also acquired goalie Sebastian Cossa from Detroit and signed defenseman Andrew Peeke. JJ Peterka (25 goals) was traded to Boston, and Alex Kerfoot, Ian Cole and goalie Vitek Vanecek left in free agency.
Key players & coach: Keller, Guenther, Schmaltz, Logan Cooley (24 goals in 54 games), Trocheck and Lee lead the forwards, with Mikhail Sergachev (59 points), MacKenzie Weegar and John Marino on defense. Andre Tourigny is in his sixth season as coach.
Goalies: Karel Vejmelka went 38-20-3 with a 2.75 GAA and .897 save percentage in 64 games last season and opened this season with a shutout. Cossa, 23, went 26-8-4 with a 2.33 GAA in the AHL last season (NHL.com). Utah had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Utah beat Chicago 6-0 at Delta Center on Oct. 1. Guenther scored twice on the power play, and Michael Carcone, Schmaltz, Lee and Daniil But also scored. Keller had two assists, and the Mammoth outshot the Blackhawks 32-15 (NHL.com).
Injuries: Defenseman Maveric Lamoureux will miss four to six months after surgery to repair a dislocated shoulder (NHL.com Status Report, Sept. 29; ESPN).
Columbus Blue Jackets Preview: Knies Delivers in His Debut
2025-26 recap: Columbus went 40-30-12 (92 points), finished fifth in the Metropolitan and missed the playoffs by seven points after losing nine of its last 11 games. The Blue Jackets went 19-19-7 under Dean Evason and then 19-4-4 in their first 27 games after Rick Bowness took over on Jan. 12. Their power play ranked 22nd (18.9 percent) and their penalty kill 28th (76.0 percent) (NHL.com). Zach Werenski led the team with 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists).
Offseason moves: Former captain Boone Jenner signed with Washington and Mason Marchment signed with San Jose. Columbus acquired forward Valeri Nichushkin (49 points) from Colorado and signed Ryan Lomberg. Adam Fantilli, a restricted free agent who missed training camp, signed a six-year, $82.5 million contract on Sept. 24 (BlueJackets.com). On Sept. 28, the Blue Jackets traded Kirill Marchenko (team-high 27 goals), Miles Wood and injured goalie Elvis Merzlikins to Toronto for Knies (23 goals, 66 points), Steven Lorentz, defenseman Emil Andrae and a 2027 second-round selection. Goalie Cam Talbot and defenseman Carson Soucy signed one-year deals in September.
Key players & coach: Werenski, Fantilli (24 goals, 59 points last season), Charlie Coyle, Knies, Nichushkin, Sean Monahan, Kent Johnson and Denton Mateychuk are central to the lineup. Bowness has said changing the culture is the top priority.
Goalies: Jet Greaves went 26-19-9 with a 2.60 GAA and .908 save percentage in 55 games last season, signed a three-year contract in July and made 23 saves on 26 shots in the opener. Talbot, who has 567 career NHL games, is the backup. Columbus had not confirmed a starter at research time.
Season opener recap: Columbus beat Buffalo 6-3 on Oct. 1. Knies had two goals and an assist, Coyle had three assists and Werenski two, and Cole Sillinger, Fantilli, Monahan (power play) and Mathieu Olivier (empty net) also scored (NHL.com).
Injuries: Provorov (lower body) was placed on injured reserve and is week to week. He had never missed a game because of injury in 778 NHL games before Thursday, including 375 in a row (NHL.com Status Report, Oct. 2). Defenseman Damon Severson (shoulder) was expected to miss at least the first two games, and Bowness called Oct. 9 the most optimistic target; forward Isac Lundestrom (Achilles) is out for the start of the season (BlueJackets.com, NHL.com).
Key Matchup Notes: Mammoth vs Blue Jackets
- Schedule spot: Both teams opened at home Thursday and had Friday off. It is Utah’s first road game and Columbus’ second straight home game.
- Last season: The teams split two meetings, both in overtime: Columbus won 3-2 in Utah on Jan. 11, and Utah won 5-4 in Columbus on March 7 (NHL.com).
- Power plays: Each team scored twice on the power play in its opener. Columbus ranked 22nd on the power play and 28th on the penalty kill last season.
- In goal: Vejmelka led Utah with 38 wins last season and opened with a shutout. Greaves posted a .908 save percentage last season.
- Missing defensemen: Columbus is without Provorov and Severson, and Utah is without Lamoureux.
- Odds snapshot: Utah -112 / Columbus -108 on the moneyline, Mammoth -1.5 (+230) on the puck line, total 6.5 (DraftKings).
How to Watch Utah Mammoth vs Columbus Blue Jackets
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Puck drop: 7:00 PM ET (7:00 PM local)
Venue: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
TV: In the U.S., CBJNHL and CBJHN carry the game in the Blue Jackets’ market and Utah 16 in the Mammoth’s market (NHL.com). ESPN also lists ESPN+ streaming. No national TV broadcast is listed in the U.S. or Canada at research time.
Check the puck line, moneyline and total above against your sportsbook before the October 3, 2026 puck drop, and look for confirmed starting goalies closer to game time.