The Columbus Blue Jackets hit the road as they face the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is time to continue our NHL odds series with a Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Blue Jackets enter the game at 9-16-5 on the year, the worst record in the Metropolitan division. They have lost five of their last six games, and last time faced the Florida Panthers. It was their first game without their star Boone Jenner. The Panthers took the lead just 1:02 into the game, on a Gustav Forsling goal. The Blue Jackets tied it up on a Yegor Chinakhov goal, but the Panthers would have the 2-1 lead going into the second. After a scoreless second period, the Panthers scored on the power play to make it a 3-1 game. The Jackets got one back but would allow two empty net goals to fall 5-2.

Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 15-6-5 on the year, and last time out they faced the New York Rangers. The Maple Leafs had an offensive explosion in the first period. They scored twice in the first 5:07 of the game, and while they did allow a goal they would score more in the first. Calle Jarnkrok and Mitchell Marner scored just 21 seconds apart and the Maple Leafs would lead 4-1 after the first. The Rangers kept fighting though. They scored twice in the second period to make it a one-goal game. In the third, Marner scored again, this time on the power play. Then, Auston Matthews scored his second of the day to make it 6-3. After the empty net goal, the Maple Leafs would win 7-3.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs Odds

Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-113)

Toronto Maple Leafs: -1.5 (-106)

Over: 6.5 (-140)

Under: 6.5 (+114)

How to Watch Blue Jackets vs. Maple Leafs

Time: 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT

TV: NHLPP/ESPN+

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Blue Jackets Will Cover The Spread

The Blue Jackets sit 24th in the NHL in goals per game so far this year. They are scoring just 2.90 goals per game this season. The leading goal scorer on the team this year was Boone Jenner. Jenner comes into another game with 13 goals on the season, with five assists. That gives him 18 points, which is second on the team. He also led the team with three power-play goals and an assist. This leaves Kirill Marchenko as the leading active goal scorer on the team. He has nine goals this year and eight assists, good for 17 points on the year. He also has three goals on the power play.

Meanwhile, the top points-scoring man this year comes from the blue line for the Blue Jackets. Zach Werenski leads the team in points this year, coming in with one goal and 20 assists this year. His 21 points are the most on the team, while his 20 assists are seven more than the next most. The next most is another defender, Ivan Provorov, who comes in with two goals and 13 assists this year. Sitting second on the team in goals this year is Adam Fantilli. He enters the game with eight goals this year and eight assists, good for 16 points. Still, he has scored just once on the power play this season.

The Blue Jackets power play has struggled. They sit 25th in the NHL with a 14.1 percent conversion rate this year, while having just 12 power-play goals on the season. They have been good on the penalty kill though, The Blue Jackets rank sixth in the NHL with an 85.9 success rate when man-down this year.

Daniil Tarasov has been recalled and is expected to make the start in this game. It will be the first start of the year for him. He has made 19 career starts with Columbus and in the NHL while appearing in 21 games. In those games, he is 4-13-1 with a 3.66 goals-against average and a .900 save percentage.

Why The Maple Leafs Will Cover The Spread

The Maple Leafs have been one of the best-scoring teams in the NHL this year. They are averaging 3.46 goals per game this year, which is good for seventh in the NHL. Auston Matthews just scored two again and is the leading goal-scoring this year. He is first on the team in goals this year while sitting second in total points on the year. Matthews comes in with 21 goals on the season, with 11 assists, good for 2832 points. He has also been amazing on the power play this year, with seven goals and four assists on the power play this season.

Matthews is eight goals clear of the next-highest goal scorer on the team this year. That is William Nylander, who is second on the team in goals, but leads the team in points and assists.  He has 13 goals on the year with 23 assists, good for 36 points. Like Matthews, he has been a heavy contributor to the power play. He has five goals and eight assists on the power play this year. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs have three other guys over 20 points this year. Mitchell Marner comes in with 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points, while John Tavares has eight goals and 18 assists, good for 26 points. Rounding out the group is defenseman Rielly Morgan who has four goals and 16 assists for 20 points.

The power play has been a big source of goals for the Maple Leafs. They are seventh in the NHL this year in power play conversion, sitting at 25.0 percent this year. Meanwhile, they have scored 19 goals when man up. The penalty kill has not been as solid, as they sit 17th in the NHL with an 80.0 percent success rate.

With Joseph Woll still out, it is expected that Ilya Samsonov will be in goal for the Maple Leafs. He is 5-1-4 on the year with a 3.29 goals-against average and a .884 save percentage. In his first start in December, Samsonov saved all 18 shots he faced for the win. Last time out was not as good. Samsonov saved just 25 of 29 shots, taking the overtime loss to the Islanders.

Final Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick

This is a situation of haves against have-nots. With Boone Jenner out, the most points by a forward on the Blue Jackets sit at 17. Meanwhile, no player on the team has hit the ten-goal marker outside of Jenner. The Maple Leafs have three guys over ten goals, and on just goals alone, Auston Matthews would be the highest-scoring player on the Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets have one player over 20 points, while the Maple Leafs have five. Then, the Blue Jackets will not have a single guy on the ice with over 75 shots on goal, but the Maple Leafs will have three. The Blue Jackets will not have enough firepower to keep up in this one, especially with a minor league-level goaltender manning the net.

Final Blue Jackets-Maple Leafs Prediction & Pick: Maple Leafs -1.5 (-106)