The Columbus Blue Jackets look to even the series at one game apiece at TD Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. This Eastern Conference matchup gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, April 27, and it will be shown live on NBC.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Boston Bruins Odds
Columbus (+125) is entering this one as the underdog to Boston (-145), and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals. The line for betting that total stands at -125 under, +105 over.
The Bruins are 54-36 straight-up (SU) and have earned 2.6 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, the NHL’s second-strongest so far in this young season, hasn’t moved much from what the team produced during last year’s regular season (50-32). Of its 90 regular season outings, 48 have gone under the total, while 38 have gone over and just four have pushed. This year, the team is 32-14 SU at home.
Boston’s offensive skaters attempted 32.9 shots per game in the regular season, leading to 3.2 goals per contest (ranked 11th overall in the NHL). In the playoffs, the team’s up to an average of 35.6 shots on goal ( 3.3 goals per game).
After producing the third-best power-play unit in the regular season (finding net on 26.6 percent of all chances), the Bruins have been able to score on 35.0 percent of their postseason power play chances. Their penalty kill has gone from 80.3 percent in the regular season to 85.0 percent in the playoffs.
With a .915 save percentage and 25.2 saves per game, Tuukka Rask (32-22-5) has been the best goalkeeper for the Bruins this season. If they choose to give him a breather, however, it could turn to Jaroslav Halak (22-18-18 record, .922 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average).
Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak will both lead the offensive attack for the Bruins. Marchand (109 points) is up to 40 goals and 69 assists and has recorded multiple points 34 times this year. Pastrnak has 40 goals and 47 assists to his name and has recorded a point in 48 contests.
In the other locker room, Columbus is 51-36 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.7 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 48 of its outings have gone under the total, while 33 have gone over and just six have pushed. As an away team, Columbus is 27-17 SU.
Columbus has converted on just 16.6 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that places it in the bottom-five overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked third overall and it’s successfully killed off 85.2 percent of all penalties.
Columbus’ skaters have been penalized only 2.8 times per game in total this season, and 1.9 per game over their past ten match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 5.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Sergei Bobrovsky (2.55 goals against average and .914 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Bobrovsky is averaging 26.1 saves per game and has 41 wins, 26 losses, and two overtime losses to his credit.
Artemi Panarin (30 goals, 63 assists) has been one of the primary playmaking threats for the visiting Blue Jackets.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Boston Bruins Betting Predictions
Free NHL Tip: SU Winner – Bruins, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Columbus has managed 28.6 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Boston is averaging 35.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
- Extra-man opportunities could have a key role tonight. The Blue Jackets are 27-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 43-29 in games where they serve fewer than 10 penalty minutes, in total. The Bruins are 26-17 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 37-23 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Boston is ranked 6th in the league this season with 8.5 takeaways per game. That figure’s trended lower lately, however, as the team has forced 7.2 takeaways over its last 10 games and 6.6 takeaways over its last five.
- Columbus skaters have managed 8.6 takeaways per game over its last five road games, an improvement over its season average of 7.6 takeaways per game (ranked 16th in the NHL).
