Columbus vs Utah Hockey Club Prediction 7 February 2025

🔊 Can the "Jackets" get back on the winning track? Columbus lost a highly valuable forward due to a foolish situation, and this immediately impacted the team's results. The Ohio club started regularly losing points and dropped out of the Eastern playoff eight. Utah, on the other hand, ended a long losing streak by securing their first victory in a while, but this local success did not affect their tournament standing.

📊 Head-to-Head

In the current regular season, the opponents have met once, and it was quite recently. On the first day of February, the "Jackets" defeated their opponent on their ice in Salt Lake City (3:2 OT). The victory was a comeback, as the current home team was trailing by two pucks during the game. The hero of the match was Columbus defenseman Zach Werenski. The American made an assist and then scored the winning goal in overtime. Currently, the player is not participating in matches due to an injury.

🔵 Columbus

The most productive forward of the "Jackets," Kirill Marchenko, was injured while on the bench. The puck hit the Russian in the face. As a result, the hockey player suffered a broken jaw and left the ice during the game against Dallas. A product of the Khanty-Mansiysk hockey school, he was a crucial part of the team and scored 55 points in 53 games. The loss of such a player inevitably led the Ohio club to two consecutive defeats. The coaching staff, led by Dean Evason, must form new line combinations as soon as possible; otherwise, there is a risk of falling out of contention for a spot in the Eastern playoff eight. New players must take on leadership roles.

⚪ Utah

The league's newcomers continue to remain in close proximity to the Western playoff eight, but their chances of making it to the playoffs are diminishing by the day. Scott Arniel's team has suffered five losses in their last six matches, managing to overcome only the struggling Philadelphia, and even that with great difficulty (3:2 OT). Whether the team can start a winning streak will be shown in the upcoming match. But for now, the club's prospects look very bleak, with a six-point gap from eighth place.

📌 Projected Lineups

Columbus: Merzlikins - Mateychuk, Provorov - Voronkov, Fantilli, Sillinger

Utah: Vejmelka - Marino, Sergachev - Schmaltz, Kerfoot, Keller

🥅 Goalkeepers

Columbus goaltender Elvis Merzlikins has struggled with the workload of the regular season and suffered two consecutive defeats. In both cases, the netminder managed to save less than 90% of shots on his goal and was one of the culprits for the final failures. The emotional rollercoaster for the Latvian hockey player continues.

Utah's goaltender Karel Vejmelka is becoming one of his team's main assets for the upcoming trade deadline. The Czech plays quite consistently and with maximum composure. Even with his team's frankly weak defensive play, he sometimes manages to "shut out" league leaders. This season, the netminder is showing the best statistics of his career (91% SV and GAA 2.46). Rumors are actively linking him to Edmonton, and he may soon get a chance to play in the playoffs for the first time in his career.

📝 Editor's Prediction

Despite a series of setbacks, on their home ice, the "Jackets" can challenge any opponent. The Ohio hockey players have not lost at home in regulation time in 11 out of their last 12 matches. The current opponent is quite suitable for continuing this trend. Utah has been unable to beat anyone within 60 minutes for 6 consecutive games. In our opinion, both trends give the home team excellent chances for eventual success. At the very least, they are quite capable of holding a draw. Our key bet is Columbus will not lose.