Columbus Blue Jackets vs Dallas Stars Picks, Prediction, Odds, and Line Movement for Saturday October 31 2026

The Columbus Blue Jackets arrive in Dallas at a favorable moment to test a Stars team searching for answers. Dallas has lost consecutive home games, 5-1 to New Jersey and 5-2 to Montreal, and has struggled to create consistent offense. Columbus is not the more established team, but it enters with confidence from its recent scoring contributions and has won the last three meetings between these clubs. That combination makes the road underdog worth a closer look rather than automatically paying the usual premium for Dallas at home.

Dallas has been listed as a clear favorite, around -177 to -190 depending on the sportsbook, with Columbus generally between +154 and +156. Those prices show little verified movement beyond normal differences among books. The total has been 5.5 at several operators, a relatively low expectation compared with some of Saturday's other games. BetUS listed Columbus +155, a attractive underdog moneyline that does not require Dallas to lose by multiple goals. The market is still giving the Stars substantial respect despite the recent scoring problems.

Kent Johnson has been an early scoring leader for Columbus, recording 11 points in 11 games and seven goals. His three-game points streak adds an immediate threat for Dallas to contain. Zach Werenski continues to move the puck from the back end and had nine assists in ten games entering this matchup. Jet Greaves also has history against the Stars, having posted a shutout in the previous meeting. Coach Rick Bowness knows the Dallas organization well from his years behind its bench. Those details do not guarantee a repeat result, but Columbus arrives with several credible routes to competitiveness.

Dallas still has premier attacking talent with Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Mikko Rantanen, and Jake Oettinger remains an imposing possible answer in goal. The immediate issue is execution. The Stars managed only 18 shots against New Jersey and 19 against Montreal, with coach Glen Gulutzan openly criticizing the inability to advance the puck cleanly through the neutral zone. Defensive injuries have also challenged the lineup, including Esa Lindell and Matt Duchene among recent absences. Dallas is capable of correcting those problems abruptly, which makes the underdog selection a risk rather than a certainty.

Columbus needs to keep Dallas’s entries uncomfortable and force the Stars to play from a stationary position instead of attacking with speed. Werenski’s ability to break pressure with an accurate pass can help the Blue Jackets get out of their zone. Dallas will try to respond by putting its top scorers in more favorable matchups and using Rantanen’s possession skills to create longer shifts. If the Stars regain their puck movement, they can dominate stretches. If the same mistakes recur, Columbus has enough scoring touch to take advantage without needing a high-volume shooting night.

Greaves and Oettinger have appeared as likely or projected starters in pregame reporting, but the final assignments remain to be confirmed. A low total increases the importance of every rebound, faceoff and defensive coverage mistake. Columbus cannot allow Dallas’s best scorers repeated power-play chances, and the Stars must avoid giving Johnson open ice after turnovers. If this remains a one-goal game late, the underdog's potential return looks much more interesting than the heavy favorite moneyline. An early Dallas goal would test Columbus’s patience and increase the pressure on its puck management.

The Stars are still the more talented team on paper, and a bounce-back performance at home would not be surprising. The problem is that the asking price seems expensive for a team that has been held under twenty shots in back-to-back defeats. Columbus has recent head-to-head success, a productive young finisher and a defender who can relieve pressure with the puck. Those are enough to make the Blue Jackets the preferred value side, provided the quoted underdog return remains available.

Columbus Blue Jackets moneyline (+155 at BetUS). The plus price compensates for a difficult road matchup and Dallas’s superior roster ceiling. Columbus’s recent scoring and Dallas’s persistent transition problems create a plausible upset path. This is a cautious underdog play; it depends on continued pressure on the Stars' exits, not on an assumption that Dallas has permanently lost its ability to score.

Columbus Blue Jackets 3, Dallas Stars 2. Expect Oettinger and Dallas to keep the game competitive, but one Dallas turnover or Columbus power-play conversion can decide a tight result in the visitors' favor.