Nationwide Arena will be hosting a divisional matchup as the New Jersey Devils come into town to face the Columbus Blue Jackets. The first puck drops at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, February 10, and it’ll be showcased live on Fox Sports Ohio.
New Jersey Devils vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Columbus is 27-27 straight up (SU) and has lost 5.1 units for moneyline bettors this year. That early-season winning percentage is a big slide from what the team managed during the 2016-17 season (50-32). Out of the teams 54 regular season matches, 30 of them have gone under the total, while 22 have gone over and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 16-11 SU at home.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 13.6 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s ranked 32nd overall in the NHL. On the other hand, their penalty kill is rated 27th overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 75.0 percent of all penalties.
As a team, the Blue Jackets have been whistled for penalties just 3.1 times per game overall this season, 3.0 per game over their last five contests total, and 3.0 per game over their last five home outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties for just 6.1 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, overall.
Averaging 28.3 saves per game with a .918 save percentage, Sergei Bobrovsky (22-22-4) has been the primary option in goal for the Jackets this year. Bobrovsky did just play last night, however, so the team might opt to rest him and instead turn to Joonas Korpisalo (5-6-6 record, .910 save percentage, 2.97 goals against average).
Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones will both be focal points for the Blue Jackets. Panarin (43 points) has put up 14 goals and 29 assists and has recorded two or more points eight times this year. Jones has eight goals and 26 assists to his credit and has notched a point in 27 contests.
New Jersey is 27-26 straight up (SU) and has netted 3.0 units for moneyline bettors this season. A total of 27 of its contests have gone over the total, while 25 have gone under and just one has pushed. The Devils are 12-14 SU as a road team this season.
The Devils have converted on 20.8 percent of their power play opportunities this year, a figure that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 13th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.8 percent of all opponent power plays.
New Jersey’s skaters have been penalized 3.9 times per game this season, 3.4 per game over their last five match ups total, and 4.2 per game over their last five road outings. The team has had to kill penalties 10.2 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Cory Schneider (28.9 saves per game) has been the primary option in goal for New Jersey. Schneider has 18 wins, 17 losses, and six overtime losses to his credit, while registering a .913 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average this year.
For the visiting Devils, the offense will be facilitated through Taylor Hall, who has 34 assists and 20 goals this year.
New Jersey Devils vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Under
Betting Notes
- Five of Columbus last ten games have been decided by two or more goals, and the club is 0-5 overall in those games.
- The Devils are 9-13 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 12-19 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total.
- Two of Columbus last ten games have gone to a shootout. The team is 1-1 in those games and 6-4 overall in shootouts this season.
- The under has hit in four of Columbus last five games.
- Columbus has given up 3.4 goals per game (while managing just 2.0 per contest) over its five-game losing skid.
- Columbus has averaged 4.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 6.0 giveaways per game (the 3rd-fewest in the league).
- New Jersey skaters have averaged 7.6 giveaways over its last five home games, right in line with its season average of 7.8 giveaways per game (ranked eighth overall).
- The Jackets this season have handed the 12th-most hits in the NHL (22.3 per game), but that number has climbed to 25.0 over their past five games as the home team.
