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The Columbus Blue Jackets will head to the west coast to take on the Los Angeles Kings tonight in this cross-conference matchup. This will be the second meeting between these two clubs this year as the Kings won the first matchup 4-3 back in early March. Who will come away with the victory tonight? It’s time to continue our NHL odds series with a Blue Jackets-Kings prediction and pick.
Here are the Blue Jackets-Kings NHL Odds, Courtesy of FanDuel
NHL Odds: Blue Jackets-Kings Odds
Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-154) (+168 ML)
Los Angeles Kings: -1.5 (+128) (-205 ML)
Over: 6.5 (-120)
Under: 6.5 (-102)
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Why The Blue Jackets Can Cover The Spread/Win
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The Columbus Blue Jackets are well out of a playoff spot this season, and they're aware of that, but they come into this contest after a 5-1 win over the Canadiens on Wednesday. The Jackets have never had a problem on offense as they have scored 3.75 goals per game over their last four matchups. The issue with the Jackets all season long has been their defense, allowing in goals left and right. Goaltender Elvis Merzlikins started the season off hot but has been dealing with a lingering injury for a couple of months now. Throughout the season, Merzlikins has a save percentage of .904 and allows 3.35 goals against per game. If they want to continue to break opposing playoff teams' hearts, they'll have to start with the Kings here tonight.
Why The Kings Can Cover The Spread/Win
The Los Angeles Kings come into this game after a rough 9-3 loss to the Avalanche on Wednesday, but they're looking to bounce back and keep their playoff hopes alive. The Kings are currently in third place in the Pacific Division, but they are only one point ahead of the Golden Knights. If they can stay ahead of the Knights, the Kings will make it in, but if they give up the third seed, they could very well be bumped from the playoffs entirely. The Kings need to figure out their goaltending woes if they want to see a deep playoff run, but their offense is doing just fine.
In net for the Kings tonight could be a toss-up between Cal Petersen and Johnathan Quick, both of which have been struggling these past few games or so. Nonetheless, they'll lean heavily on the offense in front of them to provide a win.
Final Blue Jackets-Kings Prediction & Pick
Both of these teams have really shaky and inconsistent goaltending that I'm just really not a fan of if I'm being honest. Because of that, I think this game could genuinely go either way. The Kings desperately need to find some wins if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive, but I'm going to keep this short and just take the over. I don't love either team to win, or really the total being 6.5 as the line, but I think it's appropriate for these high-scoring and poor goaltending conditions.
Final Blue Jackets-Kings Prediction and Pick: Over 6.5 (-120)
