In their first head-to-head meeting of the regular season, the Vancouver Canucks and the Columbus Blue Jackets collide at Nationwide Arena. Sportsnet Pacific will showcase this East-West matchup, which gets going at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 11.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Columbus Blue Jackets Odds
Vancouver (+180) is currently the underdog to Columbus (-215) and oddsmakers have set the Over/Under (O/U) at an even 6 goals. The line for betting the total stands at -120 for the over and even money (+100) for the under.
The Blue Jackets are 16-13 straight-up (SU) and have not been kind to moneyline bettors (to the tune of -1.8 units) thus far. That winning percentage, the second-best in the Metropolitan Division so far in the early season, hasn’t moved much from what the team posted during the 2017-18 season (45-37). 14 of the team’s 29 contests have gone under the total, while 12 have gone over and just three have pushed. The team is 7-7 SU at home this season.
Columbus has converted on just 15.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a figure that puts the team in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 17th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 78.4 percent of all penalties.
Columbus, as a collective unit, has been penalized just 3.4 times per game overall this season, and 2.5 per game over its past ten games. The team has had to kill penalties for just 5.0 minutes per game over its last 10 outings, in total.
With a .898 save percentage and 26.0 saves per game, Sergei Bobrovsky (11-10) has been the top goalkeeper for the Blue Jackets this year. If they, however, choose to give him the night off, head coach John Tortorella may go with Joonas Korpisalo (5-6-6 record, .885 save percentage, 3.59 goals against average).
Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin will each lead the way for the Blue Jackets. Atkinson (31 points) has tallied 19 goals and 12 assists and has recorded multiple points eight times this year. Panarin has seven goals and 24 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 16 contests.
Paying the opposite role of Columbus, Vancouver has overcome a lackluster record to be useful for bettors. The team is only 13-19 straight up (SU), but has earned moneyline bettors 2.4 units this year. A total of 17 of its games have gone over the total, while 15 have gone under the total and none have pushed. Vancouver’s 7-11 SU as the away team this season.
Vancouver has converted on 17.6 percent of its power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 27th overall and it’s successfully killed off 75.4 percent of all opponent power plays.
Vancouver’s players have been penalized 4.0 times per game in total this season, and 2.0 per game over their last five match ups. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 4.8 minutes per game over their last five outings.
Jacob Markstrom (.899 save percentage and 3.19 goals against average) has been the primary option in goal for Vancouver. Markstrom is averaging 28.6 saves per game and owns a 10-12-3 record.
Elias Pettersson (15 goals, 15 assists) and Bo Horvat (14 goals, 14 assists) are the top point-getters for Vancouver and will pace the offensive counter for the visiting Canucks.
Vancouver Canucks at Columbus Blue Jackets Betting Predictions
Free Pick: SU Winner \u2013 Blue Jackets, O/U \u2013 Over
Betting Notes
- The total has gone over in three of Vancouver’s last five outings.
- Vancouver has managed 24.8 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while Columbus is averaging 29.6 shots per game over its last five at home.
- Power plays and penalty kills may have a critical role in the outcome of this game. The Canucks are 4-7 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 7-11 when they’re in the box for fewer than 10 penalty minutes, total. The Blue Jackets are 9-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-9 when total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
- Columbus has averaged 7.0 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 6.5 takeaways per game (ranked 25th).
- Vancouver is ranked 22nd in the league with 6.8 takeaways per game. That figure has trended lower, however, as it has created 4.7 takeaways over its last 10 games and 5.2 takeaways over its last five.
- Columbus may hold the upper hand if it’s a close one late. The team’s 6-3 in games decided by one goal, while Vancouver is 5-9 in such games.
