Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Minnesota Wild

Quick read:

The market is asking for seven goals between two teams that recently produced a 1-0 overtime thriller, which is a bit like asking a librarian to start a mosh pit. We are taking the Over 6.5 because Minnesota's 5-2 record suggests a team that is actually trying to win hockey games, while Columbus's 2-3 slate indicates a squad that is currently having an existential crisis about their identity. When a team that is winning comfortably meets a team that is emotionally bankrupt, the defensive structures tend to evaporate like morning frost on a warm windshield.

The Wild are coming off a game against St. Louis where they were part of the action, and their current standing implies they have the offensive juice to exploit any wobble in Columbus's D-zone. Columbus, meanwhile, just survived a grind-it-out affair against New York that likely drained their physical battery and left their legs feeling like Jell-O. You cannot run a fast-paced, open-up style of hockey if your legs are made of gelatin, and that is exactly where the Wild will look to pounce.

The only real risk here is if the Wild decide to park the bus and play a boring 2-1 game out of pure defensive cowardice, which would be a betrayal of their current form. If the line drifts higher, back off; if it sits, take the over and pray the goalies have the same attention span as a goldfish in a hurricane.