Two squads on winning streaks, the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers meet at Madison Square Garden. MSG Network will broadcast this divisional matchup, and the opening face-off takes place at 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, January 19.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers Odds
Columbus is 25-24 straight up (SU) and has netted 2.9 units for moneyline bettors this year. Through 49 regular season matches, 30 of its games have gone under the total, while 17 have gone over and just one has pushed. This 2019-20 Blue Jackets team is 10-13 SU on the road.
Columbus has converted on just 17.2 percent of its power play chances this year, a mark that’s ranked 24th in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 10th overall, and it has successfully killed off 82.4 percent of all penalties.
For the team as a whole, Columbus has been sent to the penalty box just 3.3 times per game during the 2019-20 season, and 2.2 per game over its last five road outings. The team has been forced to kill penalties just 6.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Averaging 25.7 saves per game with a .913 save percentage, Joonas Korpisalo (17-15-5) has been the top option in goal for Columbus this year. If head coach John Tortorella decides to rest him, however, the team might turn to Elvis Merzlikins (8-12-5), who has a .928 save percentage and 2.36 goals against average this year.
Pierre-Luc Dubois and Gustav Nyquist will both be offensive focal points for the visiting Blue Jackets. Dubois has 34 points on 15 goals and 19 assists, and has recorded two or more points seven times. Nyquist has 10 goals and 21 assists to his name, and has logged a point in 23 games.
New York is 23-23 straight up (SU) and has earned 7.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. Through 46 regular season contests, 23 of its games have gone over the total, while 22 have gone under and just one has pushed. This year, the team is 13-10 SU at home.
New York has converted on 21.0 percent of its power play chances this year, a figure that’s good enough for 10th-best in the NHL. On the other hand, its penalty kill is ranked 18th overall, and it’s successfully killed off 79.5 percent of all opponent power plays.
New York players have been penalized 4.8 times per game this season, and 6.0 per game over their last five at home. The team has had to stave off opponent power plays a whopping 16.0 minutes per game over their last 10 outings.
Henrik Lundqvist (29.1 saves per game) has been the top selection in goal for New York. Lundqvist has nine wins, 16 losses, and three overtime losses to his name and has recorded a mediocre 3.18 goals against average and a fairly-weak .907 save percentage this year.
Artemi Panarin (26 goals, 42 assists) will pace the offensive attack for the Rangers.
Columbus Blue Jackets at New York Rangers Betting Predictions
Prediction: SU Winner – Blue Jackets, O/U – Over
Betting Trends
For both of these teams, the over has hit in four of their past five outings.
Columbus has managed 27.4 shot attempts per game over its last five road games while New York is averaging 33.4 shots per game over its last five home outings.
The Rangers are 10-13 SU when they serve more penalty minutes than their opponent while the Blue Jackets are 7-10 SU in games where they spend more time in the box than their opponent.
New York is 0-2 in games decided by a shootout this season while Columbus is 0-2 in shootouts.
New York has forced 8.8 takeaways per game over its last five home games, a slight drop from its season average of 8.2 takeaways per game (ranked 11th overall).
Columbus has allowed 2.6 goals per game overall this year, but is allowing just 0.5 per match up in their last four games (the team’s a perfect 4-0 SU over that span)
Columbus skaters have averaged 6.8 takeaways per game over its last five road games, right in line with its season average of 6.6 takeaways per game (ranked 25th in the league).
