Artemi Panarin, Cam Atkinson, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will do battle against Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, and the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in an East-West showdown. The opening face-off is at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, February 5, and you are able to watch the game live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Colorado Avalanche Odds
The Avalanche (-120) are being picked as the favorites over the Blue Jackets (+100) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-115 for the over, -105 for the under).
Columbus is 28-23 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for bettors taking the moneyline thus far. Through 51 regular season contests, 26 of its games have gone under the total, while 20 have gone over and just five have pushed. This 2018-19 Blue Jackets team is 14-10 SU on the road.
Columbus has converted on just 15.3 percent of its power play chances this season, a figure that’s ranked 28th in the NHL. On the other hand, it has the seventh-best penalty kill in the league, and it has successfully killed off 83.2 percent of its penalties..
Boasting a .901 save percentage and 25.8 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (19-17-1) has been the best option in goal for Columbus this season. If Columbus decides to rest him, however, the team could turn to Joonas Korpisalo (9-11-2), who has a .901 save percentage and 2.95 goals against average this year.
On the other side of the ice, Colorado is 22-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.3 units for moneyline bettors thus far. 27 of its contests have gone over the total, while 23 have gone under and just one has pushed. The team’s 10-14 SU at home this season.
The Avalanche have converted on 24.7 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a figure that places it in the top-10 among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 27th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 76.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
Semyon Varlamov (26.5 saves per game) has been the top option in goal for the Avalanche. Varlamov has 13 wins, 19 losses, and five overtime losses and has registered a mediocre 2.89 goals against average and a subpar .905 save percentage this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Colorado Avalanche Free Picks
Pick: SU Winner – Avalanche, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Columbus has managed 27.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Colorado has been attempting 36.0 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Over Colorado’s last ten outings, 10 of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-7 in those games).
- Columbus skaters created 21.8 hits per game last season, while the Avalanche forced 20.4 hits per matchup.
