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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets have had challenging last ten games. Both teams look like they are on a quick trip to the bottom of the standings, which some expected. Seeing the Penguins' demise is jarring, as they even talk about trading some of their longtime stars, with Sidney Crosby being the only untouchable. The Blue Jackets started the year on a roll, but their recent stretch has fans worried about the future. It's time to continue our NHL odds series with a Penguins-Blue Jackets prediction and pick.
The Penguins are seventh in the Metropolitan Division, three points better than the Blue Jackets. Pittsburgh had an acceptable start to the year, but it has gotten worse with each passing game. They won back-to-back games against the Anaheim Ducks and Montreal Canadiens to end October, but they've lost four of five games since then. For the first time in a long time, scoring has been a concern for the Penguins, but their goaltending hasn't improved.
The Blue Jackets were overachieving at the start of the season, considering they had the lowest salary in the league and lost their captain, Boone Jenner, in training camp. Columbus peaked when they won games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Edmonton Oilers, scoring six goals in each game. However, we should've known the Cinderella run was too good to be true. They have lost six consecutive games since that electric finish to October and now find themselves searching for answers on offense.
Here are the Penguins-Blue Jackets NHL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NHL Odds: Penguins-Blue Jackets Odds
Pittsburgh Penguins: -1.5 (+180)
Moneyline: -130
Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-220)
Moneyline: +110
Over: 6.5 (-120)
Under: 6.5 (+100)
How To Watch Penguins vs. Blue Jackets
Time: 7 PM ET/4 PM PT
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TV: NHL Network
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Penguins Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Blue Jackets' offense had some bright moments at the beginning of the year, but their lack of depth is starting to catch up to them. Columbus has scored two or fewer goals in seven straight games, which explains their six-game losing streak. We could see some ugly hockey in this matchup, and it'll be a perfect opportunity for the Pens' goalies to get back on the right track.
Why the Blue Jackets Could Cover the Spread/Win
The two goalies remaining on the Penguins roster are Tristan Jarry and Alex Nedeljkovic. Joel Blomqvist gave the Pens some good starts, but he was slowly falling out of favor with the NHL team. Jarry and Nedeljkovic don't get a free pass either, as their numbers have been dreadful so far this season. Nedeljkovic has a 2-3-3 record with a 3.21 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. You may think it can't get much worse, but Jarry recently had a stint in the American Hockey League because of his 5.47 goals-against average and .836 save percentage. The Blue Jackets average 3.07 goals per game, which is pretty good for one of the worst teams in the league, and they could capitalize on the Penguins.
Final Penguins-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick
There aren't many teams we will pick the Penguins to beat for the rest of the season, but the Blue Jackets are one of them. The Penguins can outscore a struggling Blue Jackets offense, and we'll pick Pittsburgh's top-end talent over Columbus to get this prediction right.
Final Penguins-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick: Penguins ML (-130)
