Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will do battle against Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and the Boston Bruins at TD Garden in an Eastern Conference showdown. New England Sports Network will air the game, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 16.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins Odds
Moneyline and Over/Under (O/U) odds have not yet been posted for this matchup.
Netting moneyline bettors 1.1 units, Boston is 42-29 straight up (SU) overall thus far. That winning percentage, ranked fifth in the NHL in this young season, hasn’t moved much from the 50-32 record the team managed during last year’s regular season campaign. Of the team’s 71 regular season contests, 40 have gone under the total, while 28 have gone over and just three have pushed. This season, the team’s 27-10 SU at home.
The Bruins have converted on 26.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for fifth-best in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 12th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 81.0 percent of all penalties.
Boasting a .916 save percentage and 25.3 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (24-16-5) has been the top goalkeeper for the Bruins this year. If Boston chooses to give him the night off, however, it might go with Jaroslav Halak (18-17-17 record, .924 save percentage, 2.33 goals against average).
Columbus has lost 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline this year and is currently 40-31 straight up (SU). Through 71 regular season matches, 37 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just six have pushed. The Blue Jackets are 20-13 SU as the visiting team this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 15.1 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 27th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked second overall and it’s successfully killed off 84.9 percent of all penalties.
Sergei Bobrovsky (.909 save percentage and 2.71 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky is averaging 25.9 saves per game and has 31 wins, 23 losses, and one OT loss to his credit.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins Betting Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- The Bruins (2-3 in shootouts this season) has more experience in games decided by shootout. The Blue Jackets has only participated in two shootouts this year, winning one and losing the other.
- For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their past five games.
- Columbus has managed 29.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston has been attempting 33.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Eight of Columbus’ last ten games have been decided by two goals or more. The team is 3-5 in those games.
- The Bruins this season have registered the 10th-most hits per game in the NHL (23.2).
