The Boston Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets are ready to face off at Nationwide Arena in Game 6 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. NBC Sports Network will showcase this Eastern Conference matchup, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, May 6.
Boston Bruins vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Boston (+100) is playing the role of underdog to Columbus (-120), and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 6 goals (-130 money on the under, +110 on the over).
Boston is 56-38 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.3 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 94 regular season matches, 51 of its games have gone under the total, while 39 have gone over and just four have pushed. The Bruins are 23-23 SU on the road in 2018-19.
After producing the third-strongest power-play unit in the regular season (converting 26.3 percent of all chances), the Bruins have been able to score on 29.4 percent of their power plays in the postseason. Their penalty kill’s gone from 80.1 percent in the regular season to 81.8 percent in the playoffs.
Boston’s offense attempted 33.1 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.1 goals per contest (ranked 11th overall in the NHL). In the postseason, the team’s risen to an average of 36.3 shots on goal ( 3.1 goals per game).
With a .917 save percentage and 25.9 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (34-24-6) has been the top option in goal for Boston this season. If Boston chooses to rest him, however, head coach Bruce Cassidy could roll with Jaroslav Halak (22-18-4), who has a .922 save percentage and 2.34 goals against average this year.
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will both lead the offensive attack for the visiting Bruins. Marchand (113 points) has tallied 41 goals and 72 assists, and has recorded multiple points 34 times. Pastrnak has 44 goals and 48 assists to his name (and has logged a point in 50 games).
Columbus is 53-38 straight up (SU) and has netted 7.6 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 91 regular season contests, 51 of its games have gone under the total, while 34 have gone over and just six have pushed. It’s 25-20 SU as the home team this season.
Columbus has converted on just 16.9 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
Columbus skaters have been penalized only 2.9 times per game this season, and 3.6 per game over their past five outings. The team’s been forced to kill penalties just 8.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sergei Bobrovsky has stopped 26.5 shots per game as the primary selection in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky has 43 wins, 28 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit and has recorded a .915 save percentage and 2.55 goals against average this year.
The home team will be led on offense by Artemi Panarin (33 goals, 65 assists).
Boston Bruins at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
- For both of these teams, the under has hit in four of their past five matchups.
- Power plays and penalty kills may be key in tonight’s game. The Bruins are 27-17 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 39-25 in games where they’re in the penalty box for fewer than 10 minutes, total. The Blue Jackets are 28-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 45-30 when they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Columbus is ranked 16th overall this season with 7.7 takeaways per game. That figure has trended upward lately, as the team has created 9.4 takeaways over its last 10 games and 11.0 takeaways over its last five.
- Boston is ranked sixth in the NHL with 8.4 takeaways per game. That figure has trended down recently, however, as the team has created 5.9 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.4 takeaways over its last five.
