Columbus vs Florida Prediction 13 October 2026
🔊 Columbus return home after a trip to St. Louis, where they squandered a two-goal lead and left empty-handed. Florida’s road swing hasn’t gone much better: the Panthers fell to Buffalo, despite rallying from behind three times during the game. Both teams have been inconsistent, alternating strong performances with disappointing ones, and the visitors are still missing several key players. Still, Columbus have long struggled to crack this opponent, so even a depleted Florida side poses a significant challenge for the hosts.
Wins have not come easy.
📊 Last regular season, these teams met three times, with Florida coming out on top in two of those encounters. Both of the Panthers’ victories came at home-and both required overtime. Columbus managed to take the remaining game, but overall, recent head-to-heads have been a tough ride for the Blue Jackets. In 10 of their last 11 meetings, the hosts have failed to beat Florida in regulation. Now, they have another chance to turn that statistic around.
Head-to-head statistics Columbus - Florida
A strong first period wasn’t enough
Columbus have played four games so far, winning two of them. Rick Bowness still has plenty of concerns about his team's play without the puck: the Blue Jackets are conceding an average of 3.5 goals per game. Interestingly, their expected goals against figure tells a different story-2.64 per game, a top-ten mark in the league. That suggests opponents aren’t generating a high volume of dangerous chances, but Columbus are still getting punished on the scoreboard. Their home win over Pittsburgh stands out in this context: the Blue Jackets outshot the Penguins 47-22, but only managed to secure victory in the shootout (3-2). What Columbus need now is that same level of persistence throughout the full 60 minutes. Injuries to Dante Fabbro, Isac Lundeström, and Ivan Provorov only make things tougher for the hosts.
In St. Louis, Columbus came out flying, as if they wanted to settle matters before the first intermission. Valeri Nichushkin opened the scoring off a shot from Sean Monahan, and Kent Johnson doubled the lead with just 12 seconds left in the period. The visitors outshot the Blues 10-4 in the opening frame, but then completely lost control of the game. St. Louis responded with three goals in the second period, including a brace from Jimmy Snuggerud. Cole Sillinger pulled Columbus level in the third, but Jonatan Berggren put the Blues back in front, and Pavel Buchnevich sealed it with an empty-netter (5-3). Over the final two periods, the Blue Jackets managed just 13 shots on goal. After the game, Bowness didn’t hide his frustration: he said his players lost their intensity and started making costly mistakes.
Match Results: Columbus Blue Jackets
Most have woken up, but the victory still eludes them.
Florida picked up points in their first four games of the season, but managed just two wins during that stretch. Losses to Minnesota and Buffalo followed, and with them, a familiar problem from last season resurfaced-injuries to key players. Aleksander Barkov and Brad Marchand are both sidelined, and Jonas Gadjoevich will also miss out. Paul Maurice is once again forced to shuffle his lines as the campaign unfolds. For a long stretch, the power play was no help either: after five games, the Panthers converted on just 3.5% of their opportunities, ranking dead last in the league in that category. However, in Buffalo, the special teams finally found some rhythm, though it didn’t translate into a win.
The Panthers came from behind three times against the Sabres. Anton Lundell answered Josh Doan’s opener, and then Sam Reinhart took over. The forward struck twice on the power play, with his second goal coming off a highlight-reel between-the-legs pass from Brady Tkachuk. That leveled the score at 3-3, but Florida conceded twice in the third period and ultimately fell 5-3. Early in the second period, Akira Schmid replaced Jacob Markstrom in net and went on to stop 18 shots. Maurice attributed the goalie change to muscle discomfort and said he doesn’t expect a serious injury. Still, what stings most for Florida is that even two power-play goals couldn’t put an end to their losing skid.
Match Results: Florida Panthers
Prediction for the 1st period
Florida have failed to score more than one goal in the opening period in each of their last seven meetings with Columbus. This trend has continued into the current campaign, with the Panthers' individual total under 1.5 goals in the first period hitting in seven straight games. On the road, this bet has paid out in eight of their last nine outings. The pick: Florida Panthers under 1.5 goals in the first period.
Match Outcome Prediction
Columbus have failed to beat Florida in regulation time in 10 of their last 11 head-to-head encounters. The Blue Jackets also struggle at home, going winless in regulation in eight of their previous nine meetings with the Panthers. While Florida are dealing with some injury concerns heading into this clash, the head-to-head record remains firmly in their favour. The recommended bet is Florida double chance in regulation (X2).⭐️ Editor’s Prediction
Both teams have been involved in high-scoring games recently, but it’s worth looking at a larger sample size before placing a bet. In four of the last five meetings between Columbus and Florida, fewer than seven goals were scored. That same total has landed in two of the Blue Jackets’ last three outings.
The Panthers have also seen the under hit in four of their last five head-to-head clashes with Columbus, and they’re currently without Barkov and Marchand. Columbus generate plenty of chances, but don’t always convert-just look at their 47 shots against Pittsburgh, a game they only won in a shootout. My pick: under 6.5 goals.
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Betting Tips: Columbus Blue Jackets - Florida Panthers
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