Facing each other for the final time this season, the St. Louis Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets face off at Nationwide Arena. This East-West matchup gets started at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 2 and it’s being shown live on Fox Sports Ohio.
St. Louis Blues vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
This matchup’s moneyline and Over/Under odds have not been posted by oddsmakers yet.
Despite posting a record of 28-22 straight up (SU), the Blue Jackets have produced 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. 26 of the team’s 50 contests have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just four have pushed. The team is 14-12 SU at home this season.
Columbus has converted on just 15.4 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that puts the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.0 percent of all penalties.
Columbus, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.1 times per game overall this season, and 2.4 per game over its last five home outings. The team’s had to defend opponent power plays for just 5.0 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
With a .901 save percentage and 25.8 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (19-17-1) has been the principal option in goal for the Blue Jackets this season. If head coach John Tortorella decides to rest him, however, the Jackets could roll with Joonas Korpisalo (9-10-10 record, .901 save percentage, 2.95 goals against average).
The Jackets will continue looking for offensive production out of Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson. Panarin (57 points) has tallied 20 goals and 37 assists and has recorded multiple points 17 times this year. Atkinson has 28 goals and 22 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 30 contests.
Over on the other bench, St. Louis is 22-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 6.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 25 of its matches have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just two have pushed. As the away team , St. Louis is 10-12 SU.
St. Louis has converted on 19.6 percent of its power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 18th overall and it’s successfully defended 79.7 percent of all opponent power plays.
St. Louis’ players have been penalized 3.8 times per game in total this season, and 2.7 per game over their last ten games. The team’s been forced to stave off opponent power plays just 5.9 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Jake Allen (24.0 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for St. Louis. Allen owns a 15-21-4 record, and has registered a .897 save percentage and 3.04 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Blues, the offense will be heavily coordinated by Ryan O’Reilly, who’s got 32 assists and 18 goals on the year.
St. Louis Blues at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Picks
Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Notes
- Columbus has attempted 31.9 shots per game overall this season (ranked 14th in the NHL), and 35.8 in their last five home outings.
- Penalties and power plays could be even more critical than usual in tonight’s game. The Blues are 9-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 13-16 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Blue Jackets are 16-8 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 22-18 when their penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Columbus has managed 8.2 takeaways per game over its last five home games, an improvement over its season average of 7.1 takeaways per game (ranked 22nd overall).
- St. Louis has averaged 8.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, its season average of 8.1 takeaways per game (ranked 12th overall).
- Columbus could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s 13-8 in games decided by one goal, while St. Louis is just 5-13 in such games.
