The Columbus Blue Jackets, spearheaded by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Zach Werenski, are ready to take the ice against Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, and the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome in an East-West tilt. The action gets underway at 8:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 4, and it’ll be broadcasted live on Fox Sports Ohio.
Columbus Blue Jackets at Calgary Flames Odds
Playing the role of favorites will be the Flames (-165), while the Blue Jackets are showing moneyline odds of +145,, and the Over/Under (O/U) has been set at 6 goals (-125 over, +105 under) at top US sportsbooks.
Calgary is 34-33 straight up (SU) and has recorded -6.5 units for moneyline bettors thus far. That early-season winning percentage is a noticeable slide from what the team recorded during the 2018-19 season (50-32). Among its 67 games this season, 33 have gone over the total, while 29 have gone under and just five have pushed. The team’s 14-16 SU at home this season.
The Flames have converted on 20.9 percent of their power play chances this year, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked eighth overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 82.2 percent of all penalties.
Sporting a .907 save percentage and 27.9 saves per game, David Rittich (24-23-6) has been the primary option in goal for Calgary this season. If head coach Geoff Ward decides to give him a rest, however, Calgary may roll with Cam Talbot (10-14-14 record, .919 save percentage, 2.70 goals against average).
Columbus has lost 1.3 units for moneyline bettors this year and is currently 32-35 straight up (SU). Through 67 regular season matches, 39 of its games have gone under the total, while 27 have gone over and just one has pushed. The Blue Jackets are 12-19 SU as a road team this season.
The Blue Jackets have converted on just 16.9 percent of their power play chances this season, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked 15th overall and it’s successfully killed off 81.1 percent of all opponent power plays.
Joonas Korpisalo (2.58 goals against average and .911 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Columbus. Korpisalo is averaging 25.3 saves per game and has 19 wins, 16 losses, and five overtime losses to his credit.
Columbus Blue Jackets vs. Calgary Flames Free Picks
NHL Tip: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
Seven of Calgary’s last ten contests have been decided by two or more goals, and the team is 5-2 overall in those games.
Power plays and penalty kills could play a key role in this game. The Blue Jackets are 14-19 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 27-23 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Flames are 15-13 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 25-23 in games where total penalty minutes are in the single digits.
Columbus is 0-4 in games decided by a shootout this season while Calgary is 6-1 in shootouts.
Calgary might hold the upper hand if it’s a tight one late. The team’s 17-12 in games decided by one goal, while Columbus is 19-22 in such games.
For both of these teams, the total has gone over in three of their past five matchups.
Columbus is ranked eighth this season with 8.7 giveaways per game. That figure has trended down lately, however, as it’s averaged 6.1 giveaways over its last 10 games and 5.8 giveaways over its last five.
Calgary has averaged 17.2 giveaways over its last five home games, a rise over its season average of 11.7 giveaways per game (ranked 26th overall).