Artemi Panarin, Matt Duchene, and the Columbus Blue Jackets will do battle against Kyle Palmieri, Nico Hischier, and the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center for a divisional tilt. Fox Sports Ohio will showcase the game, which gets underway at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, March 5.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New Jersey Devils Odds
Columbus enters the game as the substantial favorite with a -180 moneyline. The line for New Jersey sits at +160, and the oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at 7 goals (-125 to bet the under, +105 for the over).
Columbus is 36-29 straight up (SU) and has lost 2.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. 33 of its outings have gone under the total, while 26 have gone over and just six have pushed. This 2018-19 Blue Jackets team is 19-11 SU on the road.
Columbus has converted on just 15.7 percent of its power play chances this season, a mark that’s ranked 26th in the NHL. Its penalty kill is ranked third overall, and it’s successfully killed off 84.0 percent of all penalties..
With a .904 save percentage and 25.5 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (27-22-1) has been the top option in goal for Columbus this season. If Columbus decides to rest him, however, they might go with Joonas Korpisalo (9-13-2), who has a .897 save percentage and 3.01 goals against average this year.
New Jersey is 25-41 straight up (SU) and has lost 14.4 units for moneyline bettors this year. 35 of its games have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just two have pushed. This year, the team’s 17-17 SU as the home team.
The Devils have converted on just 17.9 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked fifth overall, and it’s successfully killed off 83.4 percent of all penalties.
Keith Kinkaid (25.8 saves per game) has been the primary netminder in goal for the Devils. Kinkaid has 16 wins, 25 losses, and six OT losses and has recorded a mediocre 3.36 goals against average and a subpar .891 save percentage this season.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. New Jersey Devils Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Devils, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Over Columbus’ last ten games, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 3-5 in those games).
- The Blue Jackets are 19-11 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 30-23 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes.
- Columbus could hold the upper hand if this one comes down to the wire. The team’s an impressive 15-9 in one-goal games, while New Jersey is only 9-18 in such games.
- The under has hit in three of New Jersey’s last five games.
- Columbus is ranked third this season with just 7.4 giveaways per game. That figure has trended higher lately, as it’s averaged 8.6 giveaways over its last 10 games and 8.6 giveaways over its last five.
- New Jersey skaters have averaged 9.8 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 9.0 giveaways per game (the 8th-fewest in the NHL).
