It is one of the top teams in the NHL taking the ice as the Boston Bruins faced the Columbus Blue Jackets. It is time to continue our NHL  odds series with a Bruins-Blue Jackets prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Bruins enter the game sitting at 14-3-3 on the year, but they have lost two straight games and three of their last four. The losing streak started with the Red Wings and a 5-2 loss. Last time out, they faced the other top team in the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers.

The Rangers scored first, with a Nick Bonino unassisted goal at the 5:58 mark of the period. They would add one one the power play, but the Bruins would get two more, making it 2-2. In the last two minutes of the period, Chris Kreider scored short-handed to make it 3-2 for the Rangers going into the second. Just 26 seconds in the second, the Bruins tied it up on the power play, but the Rangers would score two more to make it 5-3. In the third, the Rangers would score first again and would come away with a 7-4 win.

Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets come into the game 6-12-4 on the year. Last time out, they faced the Carolina Hurricanes. The first two periods were scoreless, but in the third, the Blue Jackets took the lead. Kirill Marchenko scored just 13 seconds into the period. Then, Johnny Gaudreau scored to make it 2-0. The Hurricanes would score three times in the second half of the third period though and send the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 loss.

Here are the NHL Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NHL Odds: Bruins-Blue Jackets Odds

Boston Bruins: -1.5 (-105)

Columbus Blue Jackets: +1.5 (-114)

Over: 6.5 (-102)

Under: 6.5 (-120)

How to Watch Bruins vs. Blue Jackets

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

TV: ESPN+/NHLPP

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Bruins Will Cover The Spread

The Bruins sit 12th in the NHL this year in goals per game, sitting at 3.40 goals per game this year. They are led by David Pastrnak who is currently fourth in the NHL in scoring this year. On the season he has 13 goals and 18 assists to give him 31 points.  The power play has been a major part of his game, with four goals and ten assists when man-up. It has also been a major part of the game for Brad Marchand.  He is tied for second on the team in points, having seven goals and 12 assists on the year for 19 points. Two of the goals and seven of the assists come on the power play. The top line is rounded out by Pavel Zacha. He comes into the game with seven goals and nine assists on the year.

The Bruins also get help from their second rotation of players. Charlie Coyle is tied for second on the team in points this year, coming into the game with nine goals and ten assists on the year, good for 19 points. Meanwhile, James van Riemsdyk comes into the game with five goals and ten assists for 15 points. Meanwhile, Charlie McAvoy has been solid from his defensive position on the offensive side of things. He comes in with three goals and ten assists on the year, good for 13 points.

The Bruins are 13th on the power play this year, with a 22.7 percent conversion percentage, scoring 15 power-play goals. The Bruins are also the third-best in the NHL when man-down, killing 88.2 percent of their man-down chances.

The expectation is Jeremy Swayman will be in between the pipes in this one. He is 7-1-2 on the year with a 2.29 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Both of those marks are fifth in the NHL. Still, his last two games have not been good. He has allowed nine goals over the last two games, taking losses in both of them.

Why The Blue Jackets Will Cover The Spread

The Blue Jackets sit 24th in the NHL this year in goals per game with 2.82 goals per game. The top scorer on the team this year has come from the blue line this year. Zach Wereski leads the team in points and assists this year. He has just one goal but comes in with 14 assists on the year for his 15 points. He has not done much on the power play this year, with just one power play assist. Meanwhile, the third on the team in scoring also comes from the blue line. That is Ivan Provorov who comes in with one goal and 12 assists on the year for his 13 points. He has been better on the power play, with five assists on the power play this year.

The top forward this year in Boone Jenner. He leads the team in goals and is second on the team in points. Jenner has 11 goals and three assists on the year for 14 points. He is also been one of the major goal scorers on the power play with two of them. The leader onthe power play has been Emil Bemstrom. All three of his goals this year are on the power play. Further, Kirill Marchenko has been solid for the Blue Jackets this year. He has six goals and six assits on the season for 12 points.

The Blue Jackets have struggled on the power play this year. They sit 28th in the NHL this year on the ower play with a 10.4 percent conversion percentage and just seven goals. Still, the Blue Jackets have been great when man down this year. They are second in the NHL this year when man-down, killing 88.9 percent of chances this year.

Spencer Martin will be in the goal for this game. He is just 1-5-1 on the year with a 3.37 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage. Last time out, he struggled, giving up four goals on 26 shots in the game. Meanwhile, he has been below .870 in save percentage in each of his last three games, while giving up four or more goals in each of the last three games.

Final Bruins-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick

The Bruins have lost in each of the last two, but against two solid teams in the Red Wings and the Rangers. The Bruins are tied for the top spot in the NHL, but they have played one more game than the Rangers this year. Columbus has lost nine of their last 11 games. Columbus also just played yesterday on the road before returning home. The Bruins are better rested and the better team. They rebound and cover here.

Final Bruins-Blue Jackets Prediction & Pick: Bruins -1.5 (-105)